Humanity's Greatest
by sleepy-emo
Summary: After failing to make any difference at either Trost or Stohess Armin decides that he needs to to toughen up so he goes to the one person he knows will be able to help him. Levi isn't overly enthused at first but Armin takes each and every one of his punishments and rises to every single challenge he is set he. Slowly Armin will surpasses everyone's expectations including his own.
1. Chapter 1

**Oh my god something that isn't porn! This is sort of how I would like this series to go; a bromance-come-training montage where Levi goes all Li Shang on Armin because I quite like both of them and I think it would be fun (also Armin really does need to toughen up). Anyway here is the first installment of what my friend and I have affectionately named Armin-strong after a daft photo I saw of Armin with Armstrong from FMA's face, hope you enjoy it :)**

Armin took a deep steadying breath. _If I'm actually going to do this it's now or never._ He could see Levi retreating down the corridor, having finished with dinner he was most likely escaping to the privacy of his room. Levi never hung around the rest of the regiment much, not these days anyway. Armin had no idea what he had been like before the last scouting mission to get to Shinganshina had been a total failure but now he kept himself to himself. It was why Armin knew this was going to be a difficult conversation but he needed to have it. He needed to get stronger no matter what it took.

So far in his, albeit, short military career Armin had come up against the Titans three times and each time he had been woefully unprepared to deal with the horror they brought with them. Trost was the worst. In Trost he had just sat there unable to do anything but watch as each member of his squad was killed. If it wasn't for Eren he would have died with them, but not the easy death of hitting the side of a building face first and breaking his neck. No, being eaten alive and having to wait for death in the belly of the beast while looking at all the other bodies of your fallen comrades in there with you would be a much worse way to go. After the battle Eren had told him what it was like and it did not sound like something Armin ever wanted to experience for himself.

Stohess and the Exterior Scouting Mission had been marginally better. Even though he hadn't been able to add anything to his disappointingly pathetic kill count of zero he had at least been able to use his head. If nothing else he had worked out that Annie was the female Titan and that had been a big part of her capture, although once again he had played no actual part in that capture... not really. As soon as she was no longer human that was all Eren.

After that Armin had realised that he needed to get stronger. He had to if there was any hope that he was going to survive. _Built like a daffodil but academically brilliant_ , Shadis had said about him and, while he appreciated the 'academically brilliant' part, and had proven that numerous times over, he knew that he was still leagues behind people like Reiner, Jean, Eren or Mikasa when it came to fighting. It constantly felt as if he were running to catch up to his friends to even be close to their level of skill but that was no more.

"Captain Levi," Armin called just as the man in question was about to turn the corridor and disappear. Levi stopped and turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. He already looked bored as Armin ran down the corridor to meet him, saluting as he reached him. "My name is Armin Arlert Sir, I..."

"I know who you are kid," Levi cut him off. "At ease."

Armin dropped his salute trying not to look as if he were preening with pride. _He knows who I am!_ That alone was enough to strengthen his resolve until the little voice in his head brought him crashing back down to earth with a painful thud. _He knows who you are because you're friends with Eren; don't get too excited, he knows you by proxy nothing more._ Of course... Of course Levi only knew who he was through Eren. Armin didn't have time to get overly depressed about that fact as Levi was still standing there staring at him expectantly.

"Sir I... I was wondering if I could ask you something," he said. _Well that was a good start; just prolong the torture why don't you, you fucking idiot!_

"You can," Levi replied flatly. His bored expression and permanent scowl had Armin quaking in his boots; he looked terrifying! And this was the man Mikasa wanted to try and take on for beating the living shit out of Eren in a courtroom full of people? Armin had always know that she was a little on the crazy side but knowing that after being alone in Levi's presence for even a few minutes just proved that she was bat-shit insane. That's why it had to be him. That was why Armin couldn't ask anyone else. He took another deep breath. _Now or never, just open your mouth and say it._

"Sir I would like to ask if you are willing to train me to become a better soldier," Armin said, his words leaving him in a garbled, nervous rush as he slammed his fist into his chest, saluting again. "I know you have earned the title Humanity's Strongest and the number of Titans you have single handedly taken down is extraordinary so I thought that there would be no better person for me to ask, if you're willing."

"Is this some kind of a joke?" Levi asked after a pause. Armin could feel the anger rolling off him in waves. He was like a storm cloud about to explode and unleash abject fury upon him. If looks could kill the glare Levi was sending his way would have reduced him to a pile of ash. Armin swallowed, hoping that his voice wouldn't crack in fear.

"No Sir," he replied and was happy to note that he sounded surprisingly steady. "I wish to become a better solider but I don't think I have the means to do that by myself."

"I don't take on protégés kid," Levi stated. "You want a mentor go talk to Erwin or Hange, that's more their speed."

"Please Sir," Armin begged. He no longer cared how desperate he sounded; he was desperate and there was no use denying it. He could have gone to talk to either Hange or Erwin, in fact that would probably have been an easier conversation with either of them, but it wouldn't have been the same with either of them. Yes both of them were skilled soldiers; Hange was brilliant if mad and Erwin was a very competent commander but neither of them had the raw power or ferocity of Levi.

"What's in it for me?" Levi asked studying him.

"Absolutely nothing Sir," Armin admitted truthfully. _No point lying about it now_. "There is nothing I can offer you that will in any way repay you but I will do what I can if you will allow me."

Levi narrowed his eyes, surveying him, and Armin could feel himself trembling. Standing in front of someone who could easily kill him without even trying (and probably made it look like an accident too) and asking them for a favour with nothing to offer in return was about as stupid as taking on a Titan without properly functioning gear. He held his ground though. If he could prove to Levi that he wasn't afraid then there was a chance that he might just agree.

"Are you propositioning me?" Levi asked finally.

"No!" Armin cried instantly. "God, no Sir that's not what this is about at all! I just want to become a stronger fighter."

"Good," Levi said, "because I don't fuck kids."

"I'm sixteen," Armin said. The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them and the look of blind rage on Levi's face made him wish that he could take them back.

"Did I say you could speak?"

"No Sir," Armin replied. _Please don't kill me._ He hung his head and stared at the floor, unable to take the scrutiny of Levi's cold glare. "I meant nothing by it Sir, I just wanted to ask because you're an amazing fighter and if I could be even half as good as you are then I would consider that an accomplishment."

"Like I said I don't take on protégés," Levi said again. "I already have an annoying useless brat I'm responsible for, I don't need another." He turned to leave and a sudden desperate rush hit Armin. He could feel his only chance slipping away and he was determined to do anything and everything that he could before giving up.

"Please Sir wait!" he cried and, without thinking of the consequences, his hand shot out and he grabbed the sleeve of Levi's jacket. Slowly, almost painfully slowly, just adding to Armin's torture, Levi turned to face him fixing him with the most levelling glare Armin had ever seen on another person. He let go of Levi's jacket as if it had burned him.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Levi asked, his voice surprisingly calm for someone so obviously furious.

"I... I'm sorry Sir... I wasn't thinking," Armin stammered.

Levi said nothing and Armin briefly wondered if the smart thing to do in this instance would be to turn tail and run. Before he could do anything though Levi's hand was in his hair, gripping tightly, and he was slammed face first into the wall.

Armin felt the hard brick of the wall cut his cheek open as the breath was knocked out of him. He wasn't given time to react or catch his breath before Levi used the grip on his hair to pull him off the wall and hold him in place while his knee connected with Armin's stomach.

Pain ripped through Armin as Levi used the leverage he had on his hair to slam his knee into his stomach again. He closed his eyes, curling in on himself as Levi let go of his hair and he sank to his knees, holding his stomach. He coughed, half expecting to vomit, bracing a hand against the floor as he tried to hold himself together. Tears of pain pricked the corners of his eyes but Levi didn't give him much time to recover before he planted his boot on the back of Armin's head and shoved his face into the floor.

Armin turned his head at the last second to prevent his nose from breaking but he felt his lip split open from the impact. He was allowed a momentary respite and he lifted his head only to feel Levi's boot pushing him roughly back down into the floor again. He held down the urge to vomit, imagining that the punishment would be even worse if he did. He felt dizzy and all he could do was close his eyes and wait for it to be over as Levi planted another kick to his stomach, sending him sprawling onto his back.

He looked up into cold grey eyes and briefly wondered if Levi would just kill him there and then. This must have been what it felt like when Levi smacked Eren around in the courtroom but Armin knew that if he lost limbs then they wouldn't grow back. His vision was starting to blur from the blows to his head and all he could do was lie there, nose and lip streaming crimson along with the graze on his cheek and a cut on his forehead, and will himself to stay conscious, praying that it would end soon.

When it seemed that Levi had grown tired of beating him Armin tried to struggled back to his hands and knees again. If he could get to his feet maybe he could convince Levi that he was serious about getting stronger. With a lot more effort than it should have taken Armin managed to roll onto his side and push himself up onto shaking arms only to have another kick to the stomach send him straight back down onto the filthy castle floor.

"Stay down brat," Levi growled. "Know you fucking place."

"Yes Sir," Armin replied, his voice no better than a rasp as he tried to pull air into his lungs to catch his breath. He closed his eyes, not wanting to see the next blow when it came and hoping against hope that it was the last one; that either Levi had tired of smacking him around like a rag-doll or he would just kill him and it would be over. But the blow never came.

With a great deal of difficulty, as they were starting to swell from the blows, Armin opened his eyes to see Levi retreating down the corridor. He let out a silent sigh of relief, thankful that it was over. He closed his eyes again and listened to the sound of Levi's fading footsteps until they suddenly stopped.

"If you're really serious about this be on the training ground at six tomorrow morning," Levi said, not even turning to look at him. "Prove to me you're not completely worthless."

"Yes Sir," Armin said. He felt a rush of elation that momentarily masked the pain coursing through his entire body, that was until he tried to move. He tried to roll over onto his side so that he could push himself to his feet and face Levi; show him that he really was serious. As soon as he moved though pain shot through him and he stopped. If Levi saw him shrinking in agony from a simple beating he might change his mind.

The footsteps continued and Armin watched Levi until he had rounded the corridor and disappeared from sight. He sighed with relief again and lay there, staring up at the ceiling, until the pain coursing through him had subside to a dull throb. He was rather glad that no one had come down the corridor and witnessed his beating or since Levi had left and bombarded him with questions about what had happened. He couldn't stay where he was though. Someone was bound to come down eventually, once they had finished dinner. There was a good chance that Eren was already looking for him but he didn't want to see anyone. It would invite too many questions that Armin wasn't prepared to answer.

It took a lot more effort than it should have done from Armin to roll onto his side and, once he was, he lay there curled in on himself as he waited for the new onslaught of agony to subside. He felt as if he was torn apart and he could feel warm blood still trickling down his face. He wasn't even sure which cut it was from anymore, all he knew was that he could taste copper and he felt sick. He grit his teeth, ready for the next rush and managed to heave himself onto his hands and knees.

Mouth open in a silent scream of pain and limbs shaking Armin managed to at least get that far. He let out a shaky breath, desperate not to make a sound because if his voice started working again he would probably draw the attention of the entire fucking castle. He coughed and red splattered the floor beneath him. He hoped that was just from the cut on his lip and not anything more serious as he spat more blood out onto the stone. The fresh pain that hit with every movement subsided again and he took a deep breath to brace himself for the final push to get to his feet. Once he was standing he could work out what to do next... if he could just get to his feet and stay there for long enough then he would be alright.

Armin pushed himself to his feet and instantly regretted it. The sudden rush to his head, which had already been feeling fuzzy from the beatings, made him dizzy and he found himself falling forwards against the wall. _At least you're still standing_ , he told himself. Despite every muscle in his body seeming to protest he was quite pleased that he was on his feet and seemed to be staying on his feet. Now all he had to do was find somewhere he could clean himself up in, in private.

He knew there was a bathroom on the floor below that only had one working shower so no one ever went there unless they were going to fuck. That would serve well enough and hopefully there wouldn't be anyone horny enough to be there tonight. Going downstairs wasn't going to be pleasant though. With one hand still braced against the wall, in case he fell, Armin began to make his way to the bathroom. Every step was agony; he felt dizzy and sick and like he was going to pass out with any given step.

He had no idea how long it took him to get to the bathroom but finally he pushed open the door and found it blissfully empty. He let out a sigh of relief and pushed himself off the wall. The sudden movement, after taking it slowly for so long, made him retch and he practically ran for the toilet stall before emptying the contents of his stomach into the stained porcelain bowl. It was mostly bile and blood and it burned the back of his throat as he hadn't been able to eat anything at dinner for nerves. He stayed on his knees, hands gripping the toilet bowl so tightly his knuckles went white, dry heaving until he no longer felt like he was going to be sick.

Blindly reaching out he pulled the chain and used his grip on that to pull himself to his feet before slowly (he had learnt his lesson by that point) going over to the huge cracked mirror above a row of broken sinks. Armin looked at his reflection and he almost couldn't believe it was him; the only thing recognisable was his hair and his eyes but even his fringe was sticking together with congealed blood and his eyes were red and puffy.

He tried the tap of the sink in front of him and nothing happened. He laughed wryly to himself – _I don't know what I was expecting_ – and began moving down the line, hoping to find at least one that produced water. Finally the second from the end spurted out an inconsistent stream of brown water. Armin waited for the water to run clear before he cupped his hands under it _(thank god it's warm!)_ and splashed some onto his face. He took another handful, relishing how good it felt against his skin.

He left the water running as he looked up to inspect his face. There was still blood but it didn't seem to be fresh blood which was something. He lip was swollen and split, his eyes were swelling and would probably have some impressive bruises by the morning, his cheek was grazed and there was a gash above his eyebrow. All of that would needed cleaning as well as anything else that he might have picked up underneath his clothes. All would probably need disinfecting as well but that would mean going to Hange and that would mean telling someone that Levi had turned him into a punching bag for a round. _Don't think 'I fell down the stairs' is going to cut it here..._

Slowly, and with protesting muscles at the movement, Armin began to remove his clothes. He folded them as neatly as he could and placed them on the shelf under the mirror, which seemed to be the only surface in the entire bathroom that didn't look filthy, before inspecting himself. There didn't seem to be any other cuts but there were a fair few bruises already blooming on his skin. Those would be easy enough to cover up – no one was likely to see him naked – and he might just be able to make up a passable lie about his face.

He went over to the one shower that still had a head and turned it on. Much like the tap, disuse had left it rusted and Armin had to wait before clear water started to run out of it but it was warm and it felt amazing. He pressed his hands to the wall and let his head hang forward, watching the watery blood run down his legs to the floor. He stood under the spray long after all the blood seemed to have gone; until he felt as if he was ready to move again.

The hot water had been a god-send but it was only once he turned off the spray that Armin realised he had nothing to dry himself with aside from his uniform shirt or just to settle for putting his clothes back on and dry off that way, neither of which was that appealing. There was a cupboard in the corner of the room and, if Armin was lucky, there might be at least one towel inside.

There were a few; one suspiciously stiff that he suspected people who came down here to fuck cleaned up with afterwards as it looked as if it had been haphazardly thrown in there, one that had mould growing on it and reeked of damp and one, right at the back of a separate shelf, that seemed to be clean.

Armin pulled it out and inspected it. It seemed fine; it didn't smell too bad and it was a better alternative to drying himself on the clothes that he was supposed to wear again tomorrow. He dried himself off and re-dressed before inspecting himself in the mirror again. Now that he was no longer covered in blood his face didn't look too bad – he could just about pass it off as tripping down the stairs.

He hung the towel on a rail to dry, making a mental note to put it away tomorrow so that there weren't just two mouldy towels and a cum towel in the cupboard, and began to slowly make his way back upstairs to the bedrooms.

When he got there most people already seemed to be asleep. He hadn't realised how late it was (cleaning off had clearly taken longer than he had thought it would) and he quietly began to undress. He had just pulled on the comfy trousers he slept in (an old pair of Reiner's that were too small for him but still huge on Armin) when Eren stirred in the bunk above his.

"Armin," he whispered, still a little groggy from sleep, "what time is it?" Armin looked over at the clock on the wall.

"Quarter past twelve," he replied.

"Where you been?" Eren asked rubbing his eyes and shifting closer.

"I went for a walk," Armin lied, "lost track of time."

"You okay?" Eren asked "You sound funny?"

"I'm fine," Armin said reaching up to give Eren's hair a ruffle. "Go back to sleep."

"'Kay," Eren mumbled and rolled over. Armin waited until he heard him snoring softly before climbing into his own bed.

He grit his teeth, his whole body burning as he lay on the mattress although it wasn't nearly as bad as before. He felt himself sag, sinking into the sheets that tonight felt like heaven. Tonight his bed felt like the softest thing in the world and fatigue over took him and he fell asleep almost instantly, his last thought being that the following morning he would show Levi that he was deadly serious and would take anything he threw at him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Aww yeah training montage! I imagined all of this set to 'I'll Make A Man Out Of You' or 'Eye Of The Tiger' when I was writing it haha, hope you enjoy :D**

The previous night's sleep had been uneasy. Despite how good his bed had felt to his aching body, in the back of his mind Armin had been terrified that he would over-sleep. In the end he only managed to sleep for a couple of hours, every so often waking up and looking at the clock to make sure he hadn't slept through his one chance to prove that he wasn't completely useless. He had woken again at around quarter past five and felt that he might as well just get up and go; if he was there early then Levi would see that he really was determined to become a stronger soldier.

His body protested movement and he ached like anything but he managed to stand and stretch out his stiff muscles. He still felt awful but not as bad as he had the previous night. He dressed as silently as he could but thankfully everyone else in the room seemed to be sleeping too deeply to even stir, let alone notice that he was up, and he was able to make his escape without anyone seeing and asking him what he was doing or where he was going.

The brisk morning air hit him like a blow to the head but after being cooped up in the bunks all night it felt quite nice; there was a slight breeze and the air smelled like it had rained the previous night.

Armin made his way over to the training ground, still half expecting to bump into someone but nobody seemed to be about. He felt more at ease knowing that he was one of the only people who was up and about. He had taken a look at himself in the small mirror hanging by the door of the boy's bunks and he looked awful.

A large purple bruise around one of his eyes along with the graze on his cheek, cut on his forehead and his split lip made him look as if he would keel over at any given second. Despite the injuries though, he felt surprisingly level headed. His body still protested when he tried to move but that was just a feeling he was going to have to get used to for a while. If he was going to get stronger, chances are it was going to hurt like hell.

When he reached the training ground Levi was nowhere to be seen. On the one hand that didn't surprise Armin in the slightest, it was still early and Levi didn't exactly strike him as the type who would wait around for someone he didn't actually want to train to show up. He looked around the training ground. There wasn't actually much to it but, then again, he hadn't expected much. There was a wide open space for running or sparing and there were the ODM Gear training harnesses. He chuckled, thinking back to his training, remembering turning round to see Eren hanging upside down from one of them. It had caused him a great deal of anguish when it kept happening but it had still been quite funny the first time.

Armin wandered over to a large set of weights. Some of them were huge and just looking at them he knew he had no chance of lifting them in a million years. He picked up one of the smallest dumbbells he could find, giving it an experimental lift. It was still a lot heavier than he had expected it to be and he nearly dropped it but he managed to put it back where he had found it without doing too much damage.

"So you actually showed up then," Levi's voice cut through the otherwise silent morning and Armin jumped, whirling round to see him standing behind him, his trademark scowl still plastered on his face. Then again Armin couldn't really picture Levi as a morning person... or an afternoon person... or an evening person for that matter. Armin snapped to attention.

"Good morning Sir," he said. Levi looked him up and down as if appraising him.

"I really did a number on your face, didn't I?" he muttered.

"It's no bother Sir, in fact I can barely feel it," Armin lied. He wanted to seem as if he had some resilience regardless of whether that was in any way true or not. This was the one and only chance he had to prove that he was serious about getting stronger. If he was going to do that he couldn't go getting all teary when he got a little bit hurt. Levi could probably tell that he was lying but if he could he didn't say anything.

"So what is this all about kid?" he asked after a pause.

"Pardon Sir?"

"What are your real intentions here?" he clarified. "After last night I didn't expect you to show up at all so I'm wondering why. Is it because you just want to get close to me, because I told you I don't fuck children."

"I'm not a child Sir," Armin protested weakly.

"I'm nearly twenty years older than you," Levi stated, "you're a child. So what is it? Hero worship? Or maybe you get off on having the shit beaten out of you."

"Neither of those Sir," Armin said and he felt his resolve beginning to harden. He was going to prove that he could fight and was worth training to be better if it was the last thing he did. "I want to become a stronger fighter."

"Why?"

"So that I can make a difference," Armin replied.

"You think any of this makes a difference?" Levi asked after a long pause. "You think any of what we do makes a fucking bit of difference when our numbers are reduced by hundreds every single time we venture outside the walls? You think that because I'm still standing I have the secrets to making a difference to humanity's survival? Because if you do you are sorely mistaken. All I know is that every time I step out of those gates it's kill or be killed and I've seen too make people die to give up now. There's your fucking difference."

"Then I want to become strong enough that I don't have to rely on other people to pull me out of trouble," Armin said. "I should have died in Trost but Eren saved me and some day I would like to return the favour. I've never been much of a fighter but I chose to enlist and I chose to join the Scouting Regiment so the best I can do is try and live up to my potential and do whatever I can to help humanity while I'm here."

"You're very optimistic, aren't you?"

"I believe I have to be, Sir," Armin replied. "Otherwise I'll have nothing to live for. What do we have if we don't have hope?"

"God you're so naïve," Levi said shaking his head. "But if this is what you really want then let's see what you can handle."

"You're really going to train me Sir?" Armin asked, his heart swelling and a smile beginning to tug at the corners of his lips.

"I'll give you a chance to prove you're worth my time and effort," Levi replied. "If you blow it then you're on your own and you can die along with the rest of the cannon fodder, do you understand?"

"Yes Sir."

"Good, now get on the floor," Levi ordered. "You know how to do push ups?"

"Yes Sir," Armin said as he complied with the order.

"Good, get into position for that but instead of resting your weight on your hands rest it on your elbows, keep the rest of your body in a straight line and hold yourself up like that. Stay like that until I tell you to move."

"What does this do Sir?" Armin asked as he got himself into the position Levi told him to. He half expected Levi to answer with 'nothing I just wanted to see if you would do exactly what I told you, no questions asked'. He was pleasantly surprised when that wasn't the answer.

"It strengthens your upper arm muscles and your core muscles, it can also help build muscles in your legs as well. The longer you can hold that position the more impressed I'll be."

"Yes Sir," Armin replied.

It sounded easy in theory, just holding that position should be easy, but in practise it was a lot harder than Armin had first thought. He could feel his arms beginning to shake from the effort of holding himself up. His stomach felt raw, mostly because he hadn't had anything to eat that he had kept down since yesterday lunch, and the longer he held it the more difficult he was finding it to breathe. If he focused on breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth he could just about ignore the trembling of his arms and the clenching of his muscles. How long was Levi going to make him do this?

He could feel his back started to twinge and adjusted himself so that it stopped. The pain that was beginning to throb through the rest of his body had started to dull slightly as well and Armin felt rather proud. He had managed to work out how to hold this position without killing himself in the process... either that or he had just lost all sensation in his body and could no longer feel anything. A boot suddenly planted on his backside brought that train of thought down to earth with a jolt as Levi pushed him down towards the floor.

"Arse down Arlert," he said.

"Sorry Sir," Armin said, realising that the way he had been making the pain subside was by not actually doing the exercise properly. He could feel his face burning scarlet with shame as Levi's boot left him. He took a deep breath and braced himself, clenching his fists and trying to ignore the pain.

"You're not doing a very good job of convincing me that you're not propositioning me here," Levi said.

"I promise I'm not Sir," Armin said but his voice came out as more breath than word. _Okay, talking in this position is not a good idea..._ He could feel his entire body protesting, not that it hadn't already been but he was shaking much more. He felt hot and uncomfortable and he wished that he hadn't come to this in full uniform as spending the rest of the day in a sticky shirt was likely to be particularly unpleasant. He must have been holding the position for four minutes now, maybe five? It had to have been about that long...

Armin felt a sudden twinge in his right arm and it gave out, sending his sprawling to the floor. He just about managed to hold in his yelp of pain but he was still certain that Levi would have heard it and he was probably going to get punished for that. With weak arms he tried to push himself into a sitting position, thankful that the ground was dry and there wasn't a chance that he would be slipping over in the mud. He finally managed to manoeuvre himself so that he was sitting, looking up at Levi like a faithful puppy.

"One minute, six seconds," Levi said looking at the pocket watch in his hand before closing it and slipping it back into his jacket. Armin felt his spirits sink into his boots – only one minute and six seconds! That was agony! His head hang and he stared at the floor in disappointment. "That's not bad for a first time," Levi added seeing how melancholy he looked.

"Really?" Armin asked looking up at him, feeling that tiny balloon of pride in his chest beginning to swell again.

"Some people only manage forty-five seconds tops on their first go," Levi told him. "The more you do it the easier it will become until, eventually you can do a minute without even thinking about it."

"Okay." Armin couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face. He had gotten praised, on his first go as well. He could do it, he could prove to everyone and himself that he was a soldier and he did have what it took to stand against Titans.

"On your feet," Levi said breaking him out of his thoughts. Armin heaved himself to his feet. His muscles protested but that aching feeling was starting to become second nature to him and he no longer paid it any attention. If he showed any sign of weakness, gave any indication that he couldn't even handle this then Levi would drop him and he would be back to square one again. He felt a little light headed when he stood but he hoped that was because he hadn't eaten anything rather than his body really was that pathetic.

He couldn't be that weak – he had passed his basic training after all. He hadn't come top of the class, like Mikasa, nor had he even placed in the top ten like most of the rest of his friends but he had still passed. He had even seen a bit of action and was still alive and that had to count for something. ...Right?

"Next we're going for a run," Levi stated.

"We Sir?" Armin asked, confused.

"Yes we you idiot," Levi replied. "If you can keep pace with me then you're not as useless as I first thought."

"Yes Sir," Armin nodded, now really wishing that he wasn't in his uniform. Getting hot and sweaty in it now and then having to be in it for the rest of the day was not going to be fun.

"You ready?" Levi asked.

"Yes Sir." _No._

"Then let's go," Levi said before setting off at a fast jog.

His sudden start took Armin by surprise and he had to give himself an extra starting boost to catch him up. He thought he was doing quite well but every time it seemed as if he was going to match pace with Levi he would speed up leaving Armin lagging behind again, having to push himself harder into running faster so that he could catch up.

They were about half way around the length of the training ground when Levi broke into a sprint and Armin had to force his already aching legs to keep moving. His lungs were burning and he could barely catch his breath. If he could just make it to the end of the run without passing out or vomiting then he would be fine. His legs ached, he could hardly breath and he was falling further and further behind Levi with ever passing second. It was like basic training all over again and he felt pathetic that he was still struggling with physical endurance.

Armin just about managed to keep running though. By the time they had done a lap of the training ground he felt like he was dying and he could have cried with joy when he saw that Levi had stopped, round about the same place they had started in. Armin skidded to a halt – _definitely going to have to work on these stops_ – and placed his hands on his knees, bending double to try and catch his breath. He was panting and sweating and he felt as if he were going to pass out but having his head practically hanging between his knees was helping somewhat. Next time he would bring water with him, he really should have remembered that from basic training but he would make a mental note to do it now.

"How did I do?" he panted once he finally felt able to speak, looking up at Levi to see him still looking bored and as collected as ever, as if sprinting half way around the training ground hadn't affected him at all.

"You're still on your feet," Levi replied, "so you should be proud of that at the very least."

"Thank you Sir," Armin panted trying to straighten himself up but feeling dizzy at the last moment and gripping hold of his knees again. He had to stay standing. If he collapsed then Levi would think even less of him than he already did.

"You did well enough for a first morning," Levi stated. _There's going to be a but there, it sounds like there's going to be a but there._ "But if you really want to make a difference, like you claim to, then you're going to have to step up your game."

"Yes Sir," Armin nodded.

"I don't expect improvement right away and neither should you," Levi told him, "but if you can get through a run without looking like you're going to keel over within a week then that will be something."

"Yes Sir," Armin said again nodding vigorously.

"We'll do some stretches so your muscles don't give out and then call it a day," Levi said. "Everyone else will probably be up for breakfast soon and you'll probably be missed. When was the last time you ate anything?"

"Yesterday afternoon," Armin admitted. No point even mentioning dinner seeing as he had just thrown it up a few hours later. Levi snorted derisively and shook his head.

"If you want to become a stronger solider then you need to start taking better care of yourself," he said. "You need to eat proper meals, as much as we can get anyway, and get a decent night's sleep."

"Like you do Sir?" The words were out of Armin's mouth before he could stop them. The scowl Levi levelled him with made him quake. Levi grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him down so that they were eye level.

"Did I not beat enough sense into you last night, you little shit?" he asked. "Because I can keep doing that all day if you piss me off enough."

"I'm sorry Sir," Armin said hurriedly. _Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck! This is how I die!_

"I'm not really allowed to beat the shit out of Yeager anymore, seeing as there's a chance he might suddenly shift into a Titan without warning, but you have no such luck so I would be very careful about what you say."

"Yes Sir," Armin replied.

"Fucking brat," Levi muttered as he roughly let go of Armin's collar. "We're going to do these stretches so that you don't bring back up whatever you manage to eat and then I don't want to see you for the rest of the day until out here the same time tomorrow morning, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Sir," Armin said, nodding. Levi was a force to be reckoned with and he had felt what it was like when he decided to take his anger out on something. He didn't have the courage to ask him if he had been holding back the previous night or not, it would probably only result in more beatings if he did. At this rate he was going to have to resort to monosyllabic answers if he wanted to avoid being Levi's punching bag.

"Bend your knee and rest your weight on it," Levi said getting into the position himself as he spoke. "Keep your other leg straight and push your heel into the ground. If you're doing it properly you should be able to feel the stretch down the back of your straight leg. Hold that for ten seconds and then swap over."

"Yes Sir," Armin said coping exactly what Levi was doing. Now that he wasn't moving he felt as if he could catch his breath again. As long as he could keep this up then he was bound to build up some kind of physical endurance that would help keep him alive the next time he came face to face with a Titan.


	3. Chapter 3

**Levi is Mr Motivational today... interesting methods of motivation but effective none the less, enjoy :)**

Two week's worth of training and Armin found that he was beginning to get used to it. He had become accustomed to the breathlessness that came after a particularly hard run and the burn in his arms and stomach from holding himself up on them for a few minutes. In fact now he relished that feeling as it meant that he was pushing himself harder and harder each time. He could run for longer and he didn't always feel as if he was going to pass out when he stopped. He had also been managing to hold himself up in that position for longer and sometimes even without Levi having to push his backside back down into a straight line.

He was getting more used to Levi too. He was still terrified of him and there was still every chance that Levi would beat the shit out of him during every single one of their sessions but, so far, the worst Armin had received was a clip round the back of the head while, standing on one leg, he had wobbled when he was supposed to be keeping his balance. He was always surprised to see that Levi actually turned up every morning. Armin had half expected him to tire of it and tell him to go and get fucked.

Armin found that he was actually starting to enjoy spending time with Levi. Yes, he was blunt and crass and often terrifying but there was more about him than the other captains Armin had come across. The only other he knew that was about as mad (if not madder) than Levi was Hange and Hange was certifiably insane. Sometimes, if Armin was lucky, while holding himself in a particular position Levi would tell him about when he used to live in the underground. It was nothing more than mindless chatter to Levi and it wasn't as if Armin had ever asked him about his life but he sometimes liked to talk and it served to distract Armin from his aching muscles for a few seconds.

Levi was fascinating and Armin found himself thinking that he had had it quite easy living in Shinganshina. No wonder Levi was so angry all the time... As well as all that the man was a god-damn hero and Armin looked up to him more and more the more he discovered about him. So much so that he had learnt how to tie a cravat and often found himself, after a secluded shower in the bathroom no one ever used, parting his hair so that he looked a bit like Levi.

The first time he had done it he had immediately washed it out knowing that if Levi ever saw him like that he would beat him to within an inch of his life. Armin had promised him that it wasn't about hero worship and he was determined to stick to that promise. He had managed to avoid another beating and he would like to keep it that way. Unfortunately one evening he hadn't washed it out properly and it was still stuck like that the following morning.

 _Might as well go for broke_ , Armin had thought as he tied the cravat around his neck but when he got onto the training ground and saw the murderous look that crossed Levi's face when he saw him he instantly wished that he hadn't.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Levi snarled.

"I... um..." Armin had no explanation. He had already learnt that Levi could be more irritable than usual first thing in the morning and the look in his eyes said that if Armin lived through the next few minutes then he would be very fucking lucky indeed.

"Arlert you had better make the explanation for this phenomenally good," Levi said, his voice dangerous. Whatever he could say was not going to be good enough so Armin took a deep breath and readied himself to sign his own death warrant.

"I don't have one Sir," he said. He could feel himself trembling as he stood there, waiting while Levi studied him. Whatever was going through his head, whatever punishment he had planned it didn't seem to be coming and Armin allowed himself to relax a little. That had been a stupid move on his part because, before he could do anything, Levi grabbed a fist full of his hair and pulled him down, shoving his knee into Armin's stomach. He let go and Armin fell to his knees, clutching his stomach and trying not to make a sound. _I deserved that..._

Before he could recover Levi planted his boot in the middle of Armin's shoulders and shoved him down, face first, into the floor. Armin just about managed to turn his head at the last second again but he could feel the dirt and gravel cutting into his skin and the pressure on his head making him dizzier as Levi pushed his head further into the ground. Just as he thought he was about to pass out the pressure on his head let up and Levi gave him another kick to the stomach.

"I said what the fuck do you think you're doing?" Levi growled again kicking Armin onto his back and pressing his boot down, hard on his throat. Armin gasped for breath.

"Sir I... I can't breathe," he said as Levi's boot pressed down harder, cutting off his air supply.

"Then use what you've got left to fucking answer me," he snarled.

"I'm sorry Sir," Armin said as best he could. "I wasn't thinking, I was just messing around one night and I thought it looked good and I..." The rest of his sentence was cut off by Levi pressing down again.

"Doing an awful lot of talking for someone who supposedly can't breathe," Levi observed. Armin's vision began at fade and he reached up blindly to grasp ineffectively at Levi's ankle. Levi kicked his hand away and as the pressure of his throat left Armin took in big gulps of air. He coughed, rolling onto his side so that he didn't choke on his own saliva, before pushing himself to his hands and knees rubbing his throat.

Before he could recover he fell Levi's boot connect with his stomach, sending him sprawling back to the floor. He curled in on himself holding his stomach and hoping that this was going to be the last of it.

"So tell me again what did you think you were doing?"

"Being an idiot," Armin replied, his voice gravelly and his throat sore.

"Will I catch you doing it again?"

"No Sir," Armin said. The pain in his stomach subsided and he just about managed to push himself up so that he was sitting at Levi's feet. He reached up and pulled the cravat off. "I'm sorry Sir, I just..."

"Just what?" Levi asked when Armin offered no end to his sentence.

"I just didn't want to look like myself for a little while," Armin finished. His cheeks were burning and he hung his head in shame, not wanting to meet Levi's gaze. He closed his eyes expecting to feel another blow but it never came. Instead he felt Levi's hand on his head, gently ruffling his hair back into its normal state. He looked up at him with wide eyes. It was the first time Levi had touched him without hitting him or forcefully manoeuvring him into a position to hold; it was strange but comforting.

The moment passed and Levi flicked Armin hard in the centre of the forehead. He bit down on a yelp of pain, but it still sounded in the back of his throat, and he reached up to rub his sore forehead.

"Be your own fucking person," Levi told him. "If you're only doing this because of some fucked up hero worship then I will kill you myself right now. I don't need another kid following me around looking like he's in love and getting in the way, it's too much of a burden."

"It's not Sir," Armin said, "I promise. I'll get stronger and I'll become a better soldier. I'm not going to be anyone's burden."

"Then get up and prove it."

With great difficulty (although not as much as the last time Levi had beaten him to a pulp) Armin shakily pushed himself to his feet. He still felt rather woozy from having had someone stamp on his throat for too long but the pain was starting to lessen and he could breathe properly again. Once he was standing he straightened himself up and saluted. He could feel his entire body trembling slightly but he stood his ground. _At least I'm not bleeding this time..._

"Are you ready to continue training?" Levi asked.

"Yes I am Sir," Armin replied, determined.

"Good," Levi said. "Follow me."

He lead Armin over to a wooden frame, very much like the ones they used for practising how to use the ODM Gear, fixed into the ground. Unlike some of the others this frame consisted of only the two posts in the ground and a third connecting the two of them. There was a wooden stool in the centre of the two posts, which Levi went to stand on. He grabbed hold of the connecting post and pulled himself up using just his arms until he was able to swing his leg over so that he was sitting on the frame. _He made that look so easy!_

"Stand on this," he ordered nodding at the stool. Armin dutifully obeyed and went to stand on the stool. Being slightly taller he found himself at eye level with the post Levi was sitting on. "Hands up in front of you, palms facing towards you" Levi ordered.

Armin did as he was told and watched as Levi pulled two pairs of shackles out of one of his pockets. He secured one each around Armin's wrists and secured the other end to the post. Once he was done and he seemed happy that Armin was staying put he swung his leg back over the post and dropped himself gracefully to the floor.

"What am I supposed to be doing Sir?" Armin asked. He didn't see how being handcuffed to a post was going to help him get stronger in the slightest.

"I'd want to hold on to that post if I were you," was Levi's reply.

"Pardon?" Armin asked. With no other warning Levi kicked the stool out from under Armin's feet and he dropped, crying out in surprise and clinging to the post for dear life.

"Now you're going to want to keep hold of that post if you don't want to fall and break either of your wrists," Levi said. "Once you can pull yourself up, like I just did, ten times then I'll let you down."

"I don't know how to," Armin cried, panic bubbling up inside him. If he lost his grip then he would fall and falling with the shackles around his wrists would most likely cause damage, if not permanent damage.

"It's very simple," Levi said calmly. "Just use the muscles in your arms to pull yourself up, nothing more to it than that."

Armin closed his eyes, he could feel his grip on the post starting to slip. His breath was beginning to come in faster and shallower and he couldn't pull enough air into his lungs to try and stay calm. His legs were flailing, trying to find some kind of purchase for his feet but there was none. He had two ways out of this; complete Levi's impossible task of using his muscles to pull himself up or fall and let his wrists break and be out of commission perhaps forever if the damage was bad enough. He couldn't go back now... not when he was so close to actually being able to do something.

"Arlert," Levi's voice cut through the panic in his head and he opened his eyes to see him staring up at him levelly, "you can do this, just take it slowly and once you've done one you can do it again."

"Yes Sir," Armin said. He tighten his grip on the post and, pushing every ounce of strength he had into his upper arms, slowly began to pull himself up until the middle of his chest was level with the post.

"Good," Levi said from bellow him. "Now lower yourself back down slowly and then do it again. That's one."

Using his grip on the post Armin began to slowly lower himself back to the position he had been in at the start before he began to pull himself up again. He concentrated on breathing through the pain in his arms as he continued to raise and lower himself, Levi shouting encouragement up to him. The more he did the easier and harder it became. Knowing how to pull himself up made it easier to actually do it but with each one the muscles in his arms began to grow more and more tired and it took longer. He was gripping the post so tight that his knuckles turned white and he was sure that he wasn't going to be able to prize them off once he was done. He had tried to keep counting so he would know how long the torture was going to continue for but concentrating on breathing and staying conscious had taken priority.

"Ten," Levi said finally and Armin could have cried with happiness. He could feel his arms shaking, sweat was pouring down his face and his hair and clothes were sticking to him. "Here." Levi placed the stool underneath him and Armin stepped onto it, relief flooding him as he was able to relieve the pressure from his arms.

Levi jumped from the ground to grab onto the post and pull himself up so that he could swing his leg over the post to sit on it. Armin felt a stab of jealousy – Levi really did make it look so easy but, then again, he had been doing it for years so of course he made it look easy, it was easy for him. He unlocked the shackles and Armin let his arms drop, hugging them to his chest as blood began to rush into them making them ache even more.

"You did well for a first time," Levi said from where he still sat perched on the post.

"The desire to not have my wrists broken was good motivation," Armin chuckled softly but regretted it instantly as a fresh pain shot through him. The rest of the day was not going to be pleasant if that kept happening.

"Do one more and pull yourself up so you're sitting up here," Levi said. "I'll help you," he added as Armin's face fell.

Armin took a deep breath and reached up to grab the post again, ignoring the agony coursing through his arms. He took another deep breath and began to pull himself up so that his chest was level with the post and continued to push, fighting through the pain until his arms were straight. Levi grabbed the back of his jacket and helped Armin to heave himself up and swing his leg over the post so that he was sitting opposite him.

"Now if you're ever hanging from the side of a building and your ODM Gear stops working you can pull yourself up and back onto the roof," Levi said. _So there was a point to that torture_ , Armin thought. "Next I want you to hold onto the post and swing your left leg round so that your knees are together."

Armin took a deep breath, terrified that he was going to fall backwards and break something, and grabbed hold of the post. He closed his eyes, not daring to look as he swung his left leg over the post to meet his right. He slowly opened his eyes. He could feel himself trembling and he didn't know whether that was through fatigue or the fact that the muscles in his arms were still aching but he tightened his legs around the post, pulling them upwards to try and hold himself upright.

"What do I do now Sir?" he asked.

"Now you lean back over the post and you use your core muscles to pull yourself up and in and you do that ten times as well," Levi replied.

"But..."

"Don't worry; I'm here, I'm not going to let you fall," Levi said. He placed both of his hands on Armin's knees. The angle was slightly awkward but Armin felt better having his hands there than not. "Link your fingers and place them behind your head and slowly lower yourself down so that you're hanging off the post.

Armin held his breath as he began to slowly lower himself backwards so that he was hanging upside down from the post. He could feel all the blood rushing to his head and it made him feel sick. The sooner he could get this one over with the better.

"What do I do now Sir?"

"Pull yourself up into a sitting position," Levi replied. "Think of it as doing sit-ups but in mid-air and hanging upside down."

"I feel kind of dizzy," Armin said.

"Faster you do them the faster you can get up," Levi stated.

Armin grit his teeth and slowly began to heave himself up to what would be a sitting position if he had been on level ground, before lowering himself back down. This exercise felt as if it was much easier than the last, the part that was the most unpleasant was having all the blood rushing to his head every time he lowered himself back down. It still hurt like hell but the pain wasn't the worst part about it, it was just about manageable.

Once he had done about five he felt the hands on his knees disappear and the next time he pulled himself up he saw that Levi was no longer holding him in place. He tightened his legs to keep himself from falling but he didn't feel as terrified that he was going to fall. It might have been because the position was better, it might have been because Levi was still sitting next to him, it might have been any number of thing but, for whatever reason, Armin felt more secure as he continued to work his muscles.

Finally he had done ten and when he pulled himself up one last time he felt Levi grab the front of his jacket with one hand and place the other on his back and help him pull himself up so that he was sitting on the post again. His gripped the post hard, letting his head fall forward as dizziness caught up with him. Levi's hand never left his back and Armin was very grateful as he was almost certain that he would fall back if he had to keep himself up.

"Now if you're stuck hanging upside down you can pull yourself up so that you can free yourself," Levi said. Armin just nodded, not trusting himself to speak. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," he said finally. "Just feeling a bit light headed and dizzy."

"We'll get you back on the ground and you might feel a lit better," Levi said. "You remember how you got up here?"

"Yes Sir."

"Good, do that but in reverse."

That instruction could have been much more helpful but Armin nodded and did as he was told. Slowly, so that the world didn't start to spin and make him lose his balance Armin swung first one leg, then the other over the post so that he was supporting himself on his arms again. His muscles began to protest the instant all of his body weight was put on them but he managed to lower himself with control rather than just letting himself drop. From beside him Levi did the same, letting himself drop to the floor once he was down.

Armin found purchase on the stool before letting go of the post and returning to ground level. His head span and he fell back onto the stool, hanging his head between his knees and breathing heavily to stop the rolling in his stomach. He felt a hand on his back rubbing soothing circles in between his shoulder blades. Once his neck felt like it would support his head again he looked up into Levi's face.

"You alright?" Levi asked.

"Yes Sir," Armin nodded. His head was no longer spinning and he had stopped feeling the urge to be sick.

"Can you stand?" Levi asked.

"I think so," Armin replied. Legs shaking like a baby deer he managed to push himself to his feet to stand in front of Levi. He was a little wobbly but he was standing and that felt like a huge achievement in and of itself.

"And now we'll go for a run," Levi stated.

"You can't be serious," Armin said, his eyes wide with horror at the prospect of having to run after all of that. Levi fixed him with an unimpressed raised eyebrow.

"Do I look like I'm fucking joking?" he asked.

"No Sir."

"Good, 'cause I'm not," Levi said. "Now try to keep up."

He set off at a run and there was nothing Armin could do but follow. His legs ached slightly from the previous exercise and he was already lagging behind before they had really even begun. He grit his teeth and pushed himself forward. One day, he thought, one day he was going to keep pace with Levi and maybe even out run him. It didn't help his self confidence that Levi had a lot more experience than he did, both out in the field and in training, but he had to keep reminding himself that. Of course Levi was going to make it look easy – it was easy for him.

By the end of the run Armin's legs ached and his lungs burned. His clothes were sticking to him and he felt dizzy. Almost as soon as they had stopped his legs gave out and he fell to the floor, catching himself on his hands and knees.

"Aww was it too much for you?" Levi asked mockingly.

"No Sir," Armin panted in return.

"Then get on your feet," came the harsh command. Armin tried to push himself up but his limbs weren't cooperating. His whole body was shaking and he was certain that he was stuck where he was for the foreseeable future.

"I can't..." he said weakly. Levi snorted derisively.

"'Can't' won't help you to make this difference you're so desperate for," he said. "'Can't' won't stop a Titan from making you their next meal, in fact, 'can't' will get you killed."

"Sir..."

"If you win you live, if you lose you die," Levi stated. "How do you expect to win if you don't fight. Now prove that this is what you really want and get on your feet."

Armin took a deep breath, bracing himself against the floor and gritting his teeth in preparation for the next onslaught of pain. He placed both his palms on the floor and pushed, forcing weight onto his aching legs. It took a lot of effort – much more than it should have done – but Armin managed to push himself to his feet. Once he was standing he clenched his fist and shoved it to his chest in a salute, determination shinning fiercely in his bright blue eyes. He could feel himself trembling with the effort but it didn't matter: he was standing. A rare smile graced Levi's lips.

"Well done Arlert," he said. "We'll make a solider out of you yet, kid."

"Thank you Sir," Armin said feeling a swell of pride in his chest. He couldn't stop the smile that threatened to rip his face apart but he didn't care. Receiving praise like that from Levi was the equivalent of winning a gold medal. It had taken a long time for him to get it and it might be the last time he ever got it so he was going to savour it.

"Now go get cleaned up," Levi ordered. "I'll see you at breakfast."

"Yes Sir."

Levi turned and left the training ground. Armin watched him go, holding his stance the entire time just in case he turned around. He didn't know how much longer he could hold himself up for but if there was one thing that he did not want was for Levi to see him collapse again. He doubted that he would come back just to beat him to his feet again but whatever little respect he had managed to gain would instantly be lost. Finally Levi turned and disappeared from sight.

As soon as he was gone Armin let his legs finally give out and sank to the floor again. This time he didn't even try to move, he just sat there and waited for his muscles to stop clenching. He knew he should push himself to his feet to stretch them out but he couldn't quite bring himself to move. He lay back against the hard, cold ground. _In a minute_ , he thought to himself, _I'll get up and carry on in a minute_ but almost before he could finish that thought he heard Levi's irritated voice in his head.

 _Get up and finish, you lazy useless shit-heel._

Armin heaved himself back into a sitting position and then forced himself to his feet again. If he was going to do this then he was going to do it properly and he couldn't... wouldn't miss a day of training because he had put himself out of commission simply because he was allowing himself to be lazy. If he was going to do that then he might as well give up now and that sure as hell wasn't an option.


	4. Chapter 4

**Finally people are starting to notice that Armin's getting buffer, not everyone's overly thrilled about it, enjoy :)**

After three months of training with Levi Armin was beginning to feel a vast improvement. For one thing he could now get through an entire session without feeling the need to collapse by the end of it. The exercises no longer hurt as much and, unlike when he had first started, moving afterwards was no longer the momentous task it had been; now if he ended up on the floor he was able to get straight back up again.

Levi had also pushed him to revisit hand to hand combat from his basic training. _'When am I ever going to use this?'_ was Armin's first question when Levi had said that was the plan for the session.

'You ever come across someone like Leonhart again, this will give you the chance to try and take them down before they can transform'. That was a good point. Not everyone with Titan Shifter abilities was going to be like Eren; they weren't all going to be fighting on the side of humanity and they weren't all going to go with them willingly. Some were going to be like Annie and do anything and everything they could to keep their identity a secret. Really it was only by sheer luck and using his head that Armin had figured out that it was her in the first place – if he hadn't they would still be shooting in the dark.

As he hadn't done hand to hand combat since basic training his first attempt had been rather pathetic, with him flat on his back before he could even land a hit on Levi. Each time Levi had knocked him to the floor he had forced himself to get back up and try again but he still hadn't managed to land a hit of his own. That night he had gone back to the bunks bruised and feeling defeated. The next day Levi had taken him through some basic steps and once he had mastered those he was able to build on those skills having forgotten everything he had previously known.

With the addition of hand to hand combat in his training regime he no longer felt the need to make up an excuse for why he looked like he had gone four rounds being someone's punching bag. Whenever anyone asked him what had happened to him he would just answer 'training' and move on. Most people paid it no mind.

As well as training with Levi he had taken to doing exercises of his own to build up his muscles. In the bathroom that only he seemed to use there was a bar attached to the wall that Armin assumed a shower curtain had once hung. It was rusty as hell but it was still firmly attached to the wall and would take his weight without too much protesting so he had been using it to do pull up exercises. It had filled him with pride to see the look of surprise on Levi's face one morning when he had managed to do thirty without even thinking about it.

The lack of field action meant that Levi was the only one who had seen any real improvement in him until he was hand-picked, by Levi, to tag along on a mission with him and a few others outside the wall on a capture or kill expedition. Hange had been after new test subjects and Levi had said that it would be a good chance for Armin to put his new skills to the test. When they arrived back Armin had bumped into Connie in the stables and knew that, by the time he had cleaned himself off, everyone would know that he had been out with the elite.

"So are you one of the new Levi Squad now?" Connie asked that evening at dinner.

"No," Armin replied, "he just asked if I wanted the chance to go out on the mission with them. It's not like it was a planned thing; Squad Leader Hange just wanted to dissect things again and I just happened to be passing as they were getting ready." That was only partially true, he had only been passing but Levi had given him a cryptic message about making sure that he was passing by the stables at that exact time during the previous day's training.

"Yeah but still," Connie gushed, "you got to ride with the big leagues. I thought it was only Eren or Mikasa who would get to do that." Armin shot a glance in Eren's direction but he seemed to be paying no attention to anything but his food.

"So what was it like out there?" Jean asked.

"Honestly? Kind of terrifying," Armin replied.

"How so?" Jean asked.

"Well you know when we were on the fifty-seventh exterior mission and we got ambushed by Annie and a load of other Titans?" Armin asked. A few grim nods served as a reply, none of them really liked talking about the fact that it was Annie who had tried to kill them all. "Well it was kind of like that but we actually went looking for Titans."

"So what happened?" Sasha asked.

"We basically found a nest of them," Armin said. "There was about twenty or thirty of them and they were all sort of huddled together in this one place – no idea why so Squad Leader Hange told us to bring at least some of them back alive so we could try and work that out. Anyway we're trying to get as close as we can without alerting them to our presence but I think they could just smell us because everything was going fine and then we've got thirty Titans all trying to climb over each other for their next meal."

"Oh my god that must have been terrifying!" Sasha cried.

"Did you level any?" Connie asked giving Armin a nudge.

"Yeah," Armin replied. "Kind of had to."

"How many?" Jean asked, expecting the answer to be one.

"Six or seven," Armin said after a moments thought. "I wasn't really counting so I can't be sure but I think it was around that."

"By yourself?" Jean asked, his jaw almost on his plate. This couldn't be the same Armin who cried at Trost and nearly got eaten because he could barely move from fear.

"Yeah," Armin shrugged. "I mean I got lucky with a couple of those because they were only five metres and Captain Levi blasted through most of the rest but I think that was about my total by the end of it."

"Seriously?" Jean asked. "How did you do it? I mean, no offence but you're not exactly..." However he had planned to finish that sentence was left hanging in the air.

"Nah man he's been getting buff," Connie said, filling the silence before it could become too awkward. He turned to Armin. "Take off your jacket and show him."

"Do I have to?" Armin asked with a laugh.

"Yes," Connie said.

"Fine." Armin rolled his eyes as he took his jacket off. Jean's jaw seemed to drop even further as he looked at him. Now that he had more muscles his shirt was tighter than it had been and it clung to his biceps and across the top of his chest. While he was still skinny he was more defined and it was obvious to anyone who looked at him that he was well built. Sasha's hands closed around one of his biceps and she gave it a squeeze.

"Hello," she gasped and there was a slight lilt to her voice that Armin had only ever heard when she was talking about food. "Tense it," she ordered and Armin complied. She giggled, squeezing his arm again. "Hiding a fair amount of muscle under that shirt."

"Yeah take it off, let's have a look," Connie said and Armin just raised an eyebrow at him.

"Guys we're eating," he said, "I'm not doing that."

"Aww come on," Connie whined.

"Why do you want him to get his kit off so badly, homo?" Jean asked, thankfully taking the heat off Armin.

"That's not..." Connie began to protest.

"Whatever," Jean cut him off, "if you're going to start perving on people in the shower who aren't Sasha I'm going to start showering somewhere else."

"Sorry back up a second, what?" Sasha turned to Connie and stared at him with an open mouth. Connie flushed scarlet and turned to glare at Jean.

"You're a fucking dead man," he hissed.

"Fucking bring it," Jean shot back.

"Well as fun as this has been," Armin chuckled, "I have a mission briefing I have to attend so I'll see you all later."

He got to his feet and left the dinning hall leaving Jean and Connie fighting, as much as they could get away with in a crowded room filled with officers, and Sasha looking confused and embarrassed.

He made his way down the corridor in the direction of Erwin's office for the briefing. When they had returned Erwin hadn't looked overly happy and Armin had a sneaking suspicion that was because he either hadn't been made aware of the fact that they had gone or because Levi had taken a rookie cadet with him without permission. He was about half way down the next corridor when he heard someone calling his name.

"Armin!" He turned and saw Eren running down the corridor towards him and smiled. Since he had gotten back it had felt like Eren had been purposefully avoiding him.

"Hey," he said, smiling, once Eren had reached him. "You okay?"

"Yeah, Mikasa and I were going to hang out and take a walk around the castle, maybe see if we can get on the roof and look at the stars or something, if you wanted to join us," Eren said. Armin felt his heart skip slightly. It felt like ages since he had been able to spend any significant time with Eren and Mikasa. Either Eren was always being put through tests to do with his Shifter powers, and it felt odd spending time with Mikasa when he wasn't there, or Armin was training with Levi. He was about to open his mouth to say yes but he caught sight of Levi rounding the end of the corridor and suddenly remembered where he was supposed to be going.

"I'm sorry," he said sadly, "I can't."

"How come?"

"I've got this mission briefing and I've kind of got to go," he replied. "I think Commander Erwin's pissed that I went along."

"Yeah why did they take you on a mission like that?" Eren asked, his brow furrowing angrily. A part of Armin wondered if Eren had been thinking about saying 'and they didn't take me' but he didn't say anything else so he didn't mention it.

"Like I told the others," he said, "it was just luck. I just happened to be passing at the right time and Captain Levi asked if I wanted some more field experience."

"Yeah but that still doesn't make sense," Eren said. "I mean you're not really one for the fighting and stuff."

"I have as much field experience as anyone else from the 104th," Armin said defensively, "including you."

"I'm not saying you don't have field experience," Eren said trying to back track and correct his obvious mistake. "I'm just saying that some of us in that class were stronger than others, like Reiner and Bertolt."

"Well I've been training and I've been getting stronger so don't worry about me; I can take care of myself."

"I'm not saying you can't!" Eren said putting his hands up in defence to the glare Armin was levelling him with. He sighed and let his head drop. "Look I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to come out like that. It's great that you got to go out on a mission, I'm just being an arse."

"No arguments there," Armin chuckled giving him a playful punch on the shoulder.

"Do you maybe want to come and hang out after your done with the briefing?" Eren asked.

"Sure," Armin smiled. "I'll just have to ask Captain Levi when he next wants me down on the training ground before I leave."

"Surely that won't be tonight," Eren said, "you've only just got back."

"I don't know," Armin shrugged, "it might be. He might want to run through some blade techniques while it's still fresh in my mind but I can..." He stopped suddenly at Eren's barely disguised eye roll. "What?"

"All you ever do is train these days," Eren said. "You can take some time off every once in a while."

"That's not true," Armin said. "It's just that when I'm not training you're doing tests with Squad Leader Hange so we don't run in the same circles anymore. Besides what do you mean 'take some time off'?"

"I'm just saying you can afford to relax every once in a while," Eren replied. "It's not like there's been an attack for a while, not since Stohess anyway."

"Where is this coming from?" Armin asked narrowing his eyes. "Because this isn't the Eren I knew who said that we had to be prepared for anything because an attack could happen at any time and it sure as hell isn't the Eren who said he wanted to be strong enough to slaughter every last Titan that crossed his path."

"I still do," Eren said and there was a definite edge to his voice, like Armin's words had damaged his pride.

"Then why are you acting so strangely?"

"I just..." Eren stopped himself, as if he were trying to find the right words. "I just don't get where this sudden obsession with training has come from."

"It's hardly an obsession, I just wanted to become strong enough so that I didn't have to rely on people like you and Mikasa in a fight."

"And what's wrong with that?" Eren asked, on the defensive.

"I've been relying on you two my whole life," Armin replied, "surely it's my time to prove that I am actually worth something as a soldier. You two are the reason I enlisted and I can't lean on you forever. I'm not anybody's burden."

"That's not what I meant," Eren said. "I just didn't realise it was now your life's mission or something to go out there and get yourself killed."

"That's what I'm trying to prevent by getting stronger and becoming a better fighter!" Armin cried. "Look we weren't all born skilled fighters like Mikasa and we weren't all gifted with special powers like you, some of us actually have to work for it."

"You could have asked me for help," Eren said turning away and looking at the wall. Armin saw the indignant hurt in his eyes and it suddenly dawned on him why Eren was being this pissy about it.

"Are you jealous?" he asked.

"What? No!" Eren snapped, just furthering to prove Armin's point.

"You are; you're jealous that I went to Captain Levi instead of asking you for help," he stated.

"So what?" Eren asked petulantly. "I've seen the bruises you come back with; he's too hard on you."

"And neither you nor Mikasa would have been hard enough," Armin replied. "He's a highly skilled fighter and I needed to ask someone who wouldn't let me give up because it looked like it was going to be too hard." He sighed, placing a hand over his eyes in frustration before looking up at Eren again. "Look I'm sorry this is just something I need to do on my own right now. I'm getting better and I might not have to do it so much anymore."

"Whatever," Eren snapped and pushed passed him, heading off down the corridor to go and find Mikasa. "Let me know when you've finished being Levi's lapdog."

Armin waited until Eren had turned down the corridor and he was alone. He sighed, placing his head in his hands and leaning back against the wall, sliding down it till he was sitting on the floor. He felt like crying. He had thought that Eren would be happy for him; getting stronger and no longer having to worry about if he was alright during an attack but apparently he had thought wrong. He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself and stop himself from breaking down completely when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Levi standing over him. He drew the back of his hand over his eyes, just in case he was actually crying, and quickly got to his feet, taking a steadying breath and saluting.

"Captain," he said, his voice thick but still steady. "I'm sorry Sir I shouldn't be sitting in the corridor. I was on my way to Commander Erwin's office and..." He stopped. How did he finish that sentence? He had seen Levi round the corner before but he had no idea how much he had seen or heard.

"It's alright," Levi said. "I heard."

"Oh..."

"Yeager's so obnoxiously loud I'm sure a lot of people heard."

"Oh..." Armin could feel tears pricking the corner of his eyes. Maybe because it was the first fight he had had with Eren since they were about seven but knowing that other people had probably heard them as well just made it worse. The lapdog comment had been particularly hurtful and Armin really wished that Levi hadn't heard that. He looked at the floor, willing himself not to cry – _you're a fucking soldier damn it_ – but looked up when he felt the hand on his shoulder give him a squeeze.

"It's hard," Levi stated, "when people who used to be stronger than you slowly start to realise that you're becoming stronger than them."

Armin nodded. He didn't trust himself to speak or even to open his mouth, thinking that if he did all the hurt Eren's words had caused would come pouring out of him and he wouldn't be able to stop. Levi seemed to notice and gave Armin's shoulder another squeeze.

"Come on," he said, "let's go get this shit over with with Erwin and then we can go somewhere and talk."

"Yes Sir," Armin said nodding. He swallowed, pushing down the hurt and anger for the moment. He would get through the mission briefing, if he was going to be reprimanded for going along then he would take that punishment too, and then he could let everything come pouring out of him.

"And if Erwin gets pissing about you coming along with us he can go fuck himself," Levi added. "You did well today."

"Thank you Sir," Armin replied chuckling softly, despite himself.

He saw the corner of Levi's mouth twitch up slightly into the faintest hint of a smile – a look Armin very rarely saw on his face but it always made Armin happy when he did. Levi gave his shoulder another squeeze before setting off down the corridor in the direction of Erwin's office. Armin followed. He could not have been more grateful to have Levi there for support than if he had just saved his life. He took a deep breath, feeling just that little bit stronger; if he could handle Eren being difficult about him riding out with Levi then he could handle Erwin no problem.


	5. Chapter 5

**More Armin being kind of a badass and Eren being kind of a pissy bitch, enjoy :D**

A week after his expedition outside the walls Levi called Armin to the training ground during the day for an extra session. Armin had been confused – _we never train unless it's first thing in the morning, what's going on? –_ but arrived at the exact time Levi had told him to be there. His confusion was only heightened when he saw not only Levi but also Hange and Eren as well. Armin looked between then all but Hange was the one who spoke first.

"Armin, nice of you to join us, how are you today?"

"Very well Squad Leader Hange, and yourself?"

"I am fantastic," Hange replied, a slightly manic gleam shinning in excited eyes, "and please don't worry about the titles; just call me Hange."

"Of course," Armin nodded. He turned and smiled at Eren who gave him an awkward smile back. Since their fight in the corridor they hadn't really spoken. It was the longest they had ever gone without speaking and Armin had thrown himself into other things, like training and reading, to stop himself from dwelling on it. If this session went well he thought it might bring them back together again.

"Hi," Eren said shuffling awkwardly as Armin reached him.

"Hey," Armin smiled. He wanted to throw his arms around Eren and hug him, just thankful that he seemed to be talking again (the radio silence had been hell) but thought better of it with Hange and Levi so close by.

"What are you doing here?" Eren asked, breaking the silence. He received a clip round the back of the head from Levi for his trouble.

"He's here in case you fuck it up and go rogue," he snapped.

"I thought that's what you were here for Sir," Eren said, rubbing the back of his head.

"I am here to oversee this experiment," Levi stated. "That does mean taking you down if you go rogue but _he_ is less likely to kill you and make it look like an accident because you're being an annoying little turd."

Armin bit the inside of his lip, trying not to laugh. Throughout their training together he had become used to Levi's blunt, brash honesty (although in this case he was certain that it was just a threat... well, almost certain) but the look of horror that crossed Eren's face, while Hange didn't seem the slightest bit perturbed was quite amusing.

"He's joking Eren, don't worry," Hange said.

"Have you ever known me to crack a joke Glasses?" Levi asked raising an eyebrow.

"Anyway," Hange said, trying to bring the conversation round to the topic at hand, "Eren we need you to transform into your Titan form and then we have a couple of tasks we'd like you to accomplish while you're a Titan, okay?"

"I..." Eren's gaze shifted to Armin, like he was looking for comfort or reassurance or for Armin to jump in and say that this was a bad idea. So far Eren's attempts at maintaining control in his Titan form hadn't been overly successful unless there was an actual opponent for him to take down in front of him. "I don't know if I can."

"What do you mean you don't know if you can?" Levi growled.

"I don't know if..." Eren began but seemed to wither under Levi's glare. "I... I can't seem to do it... unless I'm under stress."

Levi's eyes narrowed and before any of them could react he grabbed Eren by the hair and pulled him down so that they were eye level. Eren cried out, the force of Levi's grip sending him to his knees. He reached up blindly to clutch at Levi's wrist to try and lessen the pain. Armin open his mouth to say something, knowing from experience what it was like to be on the receiving end of Levi's anger when he was pissed off, but Hange got there before he had the chance.

"Is that really necessary Levi?"

"You want to be under stress you fucking waste of space then I will give you stress," Levi snarled not paying attention to either Hange or Armin standing there, not taking his eyes off Eren. "You are supposed to be learning how to do this on command, you useless little shit, if you can't do that then you are of no use to me or anyone."

"Yes Sir," Eeren whimpered still clutching at Levi's hand, tears in his eyes.

"Remember that people have fought and died to protect you because you're supposed to be our last hope," Levi said letting go of Eren's hair and letting him drop the the floor, where he caught himself on his hands and knees. "If you don't learn how to control your powers then they threw away their lives for nothing."

"Yes Sir," Eren said, his voice trembling. Armin knew that had to hit home. When they had come from the last scouting mission where they had first encountered Annie in Titan form Eren had been beside himself, constantly waking from dreams about Petra, Oluo, Gunther and Eld along with all the other soldiers he had seen die.

Armin took a tentative step towards him and Eren seemed to remember that he was there. He looked up at him, pain and humiliation filling turquoise eyes, before blinking back the tears and turning away. Having Armin there witnessing him being reprimanded like a child only seemed to make it worse for Eren.

"On your feet," Levi snapped as he turned and stalked away. Eren nodded, even though Levi wasn't paying any attention, and pushed himself off the floor.

"You know you could..." Hange began as Levi passed.

"Shut the fuck up!"

"Message received," Hange nodded, still smiling brightly as if Levi's outburst was the most normal thing in the world, before turning to Eren. "Okay let's get you at a safe distance and then we'll go for Experiment Number One." Hange flung an arm around Eren's shoulder and led him away to the other side of the training ground. Armin watched them go, wondering what he was supposed to do now.

"Arlert," Levi called over his shoulder. Armin took that as his cue and ran to catch up with him.

"Yes Sir," he said once they were level.

"Get geared up," Levi told him. "We're probably going to need you by the end of the day."

"Yes Sir," Armin nodded.

"Do you think that was too harsh?" Levi asked after a pause, his tone unchanged. Armin opened his mouth to say yes but closed it, thinking better of it. "You can tell me if you do, I won't hold it against you."

"I think you tell people what they need to hear Sir," Armin said after a moments thought, "whether it's what they want to hear or not."

"That's one way of putting it I suppose."

"I know I needed it when you said a similar thing to me," Armin stated. "He'll probably resent you for it for a while but it will be the kick up the arse he needs."

"You're starting to sound like me," Levi said after a pause. "Go get geared up, let's see how this plays out."

* * *

Hange's experiments seemed to go off without a hitch. It took a few attempts for Eren to shift into his Titan form each time, and when he shifted out of it it was rather disgusting but he was able to hold control long enough to perform a few simple tasks. Armin watched, beginning to wonder if he was even going to be needed until after a particularly gruelling task Eren seemed to loose control.

"Eren," Hange called up to him, "can you hear me?"

"Draw your blades," Levi told Armin as Eren stared down at Hange.

"Eren," Hange said again, "can you hear me?"

Eren's answer was to raise his fist, holding it in mid-air for a second before bringing it down on top of where Hange was standing. Hange jumped out of the way just before Eren's fist hit the floor, sending dirt and dust flying everywhere. Hange sprang back to where Armin and Levi were standing, ready and waiting.

"You fucked it up Glasses?" Levi asked.

"It's quite possible that the mental strain of having to shift into Titan form so many times in one day made him lose control after a while," Hange replied.

"So you fucked it up," Levi stated. He turned to Armin. "You're up Arlert."

"What?"

"Take him down," Levi said. Armin stared at him with wide eyes for a moment before looking over at Eren who seemed to be stumbling blindly through the dust towards them. He turned back to Levi.

"I don't think I can," he said, voice trembling slightly. "I mean, it's Eren."

"I know he's your friend and I'm not asking you to take him down and kill him I'm just asking you to stop him from going on a rampage now," Levi told him. "If we were out in the field and he did this then it wouldn't just be you, me and Glasses who's lives were on the line; it could be the whole regiment. Hell, depending on where we are there could be civilians involved and if that is the case then you are going to need to pull it together, harden your resolve and do what needs to be done for the good of everyone."

"Okay," Armin said looking over towards Eren who seemed to be closer to them now that the dust had cleared. Could he really take down his best friend? He had stabbed him in the back of the neck once before but he was unconscious then and there wasn't as much of a chance that he could slip and accidentally kill him. Now he was going to be moving and thrashing and if Armin made one wrong move there he could slice through the wrong part of the neck or cut too deep and he would accidentally kill Eren or do some damage that might not grow back.

No, Levi was right; if Eren went rogue while they were out in the field then there was a chance that he could wipe out the entire squad. Armin clenched his teeth and tightened his grip on his blades. He had taken down a Titan before so it shouldn't be too difficult if he didn't think about it being Eren until the last second. He closed his eyes to block the world out for a brief moment before taking a deep breath and running towards Eren.

Eren still seemed to be a lot more sluggish than usual when it Titan form and Armin was going to use that his his advantage. If he could bring him to the floor then there was a greater chance he could remove him from his Titan body without hurting him. The first thing he needed to do was get him at ground level. As he got closer Eren swiped at him but Armin skidded out of the way of his huge hand and through his legs so that he was behind him. A swing of his blades to the back of each ankle and a loud scream of pain rent the air.

Armin engaged his ODM gear, his target half way up Eren's spine. There was another scream of pain as the end sunk into flesh. Armin allowed the cable to pull him so that he was standing at the base of Eren's spine. He hadn't quite got his footing right and, on instinct, plunged his blade into the small of his back, causing another scream of pain.

Armin firmly planted his boots against the tough skin and looked down. Thanks to the cuts to his ankles Eren didn't seen to be going anywhere but he was wildly thrashing in the direction the pain was coming from meaning Armin didn't have long to make his next move. He let the cable out again, falling back down as one of Eren's hands reached round and slammed into the place he had been standing just seconds ago. When he reached the backs of Eren's knees he gave a swipe with each of his blades and they gave out.

Eren fell allowing Armin to launch another of his cables so that he could pull himself up to the nape of Eren's neck. He panted his boots either side of the nape to steady himself, he had to do this quickly or there was still a chance he could be swatted like a fly. Eren's legs might be out of commission but his arms were still fully functional. Armin could feel his hand trembling as he raised one of his blades, about to bring it down on the back of Eren's neck, but he stopped himself before he could land the blow. If he didn't have a steady hand then there was no point in trying to save Eren, he'd probably just end up killing him.

 _You can do this Arlert_ , he heard Levi's voice inside his head. _Just take a deep breath and concentrate, you know what you have to do._

Armin closed his eyes and took a long, slow breath in to stead himself. The Levi inside his head was right and he was almost certain that if he could hear the Levi down on the ground then there was every chance that he would be telling him the same thing. _One more swing, that's all it will take._ It didn't need to be deep, in fact the shallower the better as he could pull Eren out rather than cut off the nape with him still inside.

Determination fixed on his face Armin looked down at the hard skin beneath him and swung his blade down over it. It split open far enough for Armin to be able to reach inside and hook his arm around Eren's waist. Using all his strength he pulled as hard as he could. Slowly, as if tendon by tendon, he felt the muscle, nerves and sinew connecting Eren to the Titan body begin to snap until finally he pulled him out of the body completely. Eren was panting and practically unconscious, like every time Armin had seen him after he had come out of his Titan form, but he was alive.

Now that he was no longer inside it Eren's Titan body fell to the floor. With the extra weight of Eren now heaved onto his shoulder Armin braced himself against the back of the neck and waited for the impact of the body against the ground before moving. He felt his knees buckle slightly and he tightened his grip on Eren as the body he was standing on connected with the earth and finally stopped moving. He let out the breath that he had been holding before what he had just done and the weight of Eren sunk down on him and his knees gave out.

"Armin! Eren!" he heard Hange call over to them and looked round to see both Hange and Levi running towards them. Armin's head was spinning, he felt dizzy and sick all at once and the hand that wasn't wrapped around Eren's waist was holding onto one of his blades as if it were a lifeline. "Armin," Hange said softly, "you can let go now."

"Okay," he said, his voice coming out in a rasp rather than anything like his normal speaking voice. He felt Hange prising Eren out of his grip as his body seemed unwilling to let go. Once he was out Hange took Eren away from the Titan corpse to try and bring him back to full consciousness, leaving Armin kneeling, alone, at the nape of its neck. He felt a strong hand grab him by the scruff of his collar and pull him to his feet. He looked round to see Levi and allowed himself to be dragged after Eren and Hange.

"You alright?" Levi asked quietly. Armin opened his mouth but couldn't seem to make a sound. It had been different killing Titans out on the field. That was life or death and those Titans didn't have someone human inside them (especially someone who happened to be his best friend). In a way this had also been life or death but knowing that he could have killed Eren in the process made everything startlingly more terrifying. "Armin?"

"I... I'm fine," he stammered, finally finding his voice, "just a little shaken."

"Understandable," Levi replied. "You did very well though. That was a valiant effort and you managed to do it causing minimal damage as well."

"Thank you Sir," Armin panted trying to catch his breath. He hadn't realised just how much adrenaline had been pumping through him until it had gone and he was suddenly overcome with fatigue.

"You though," Levi said rounding on Eren, who looked up at him from the ground with wide, terrified eyes. He knew that he was about to get lectured and he already felt bad enough as it was without having Levi dress him down on top of that. "Get on your feet."

"Yes Sir," Eren said scrambling to stand, saluting Levi once he was up.

"You can't go rogue after just a little bit of mental strain," Levi said. "If we end up on a long mission you're not going to have a whole lot of time to pull yourself back together enough to become a Titan without trying to kill everyone. You need to learn how to control yourself more if you want to become a better soldier and take down Titans. You can't rely on your strength alone, you need skill, which you seem to be severely lacking."

"Yes Sir," Eren said. He hung his head and Armin could see tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. He felt his heart clench, he hated seeing Eren in pain especially if there was nothing that he could do to help.

"Go get yourselves cleaned up, both of you," Levi said. "You got everything you need Glasses? I don't want to have to spend any more time with you than I have to."

"I believe I've got everything I need for now," Hange said beaming, seemingly unperturbed by Levi's dressing down of Eren or the fact that Eren could have killed them all only moments ago. "I can go over what I got from today and schedule another one of these sessions. Thank you both for today."

"Thank you Squad Leader," Armin said when Eren failed to say anything. He saluted both Levi and Hange as well, waiting until they had turned and left the training ground Hange twittering away to Levi who seemed stiffer than usual as he walked, probably because he didn't want to have to listen. Once they were out of sight Armin turned to Eren and placed his hand on his shoulder. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Eren snapped shrugging him off.

"Did I hurt you at all when I pull you out?" Armin asked trying to ignore how hurt he was by Eren's waspish demeanour.

"No," Eren replied, still sounding like a petulant child. _He's just annoyed because he got dressed down by Levi in front of you, don't take it personally._

"Don't beat yourself up about it," Armin said nodding his head in the direction of the steaming Titan carcass still lying in the middle of training ground. "That could have happened to anyone after being forced through that so many times."

"Will you shut up," Eren snapped.

"Sorry," Armin replied, taken aback, "I'm just trying to help." _Seriously don't take it personally, he's just damaged his pride._

"Well don't," Eren said. "I don't need you pitying me because I can't even go a few rounds without even turning rogue and I'm fucking useless."

"He didn't mean that," Armin said knowing exactly what Eren was referring to.

"You're defending him now?" Eren asked. "You in love with him or something?"

"No," Armin replied rolling his eyes. Eren was immature yes, but this was a whole new level of immaturity. "He just sometimes says things that you need to hear to motivate you, he doesn't necessarily mean it."

"Whatever," Eren said petulantly.

"Look I'm sorry," Armin said. Eren was clearly exhausted so of course he was going to be little pissy; he should give him the benefit of the doubt and not allow himself to fly off the handle at him. "And I'm sorry if I hurt you when I cut you out but I didn't want to end up cutting off your limbs or anything. I never know if they're going to grow back or not."

"Yeah well I doubt you'd worry too much if you did," Eren said.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Armin asked glaring at him. That had hurt. No matter how pissed off Eren was that was a cheep shot and he had no right to to tell Armin how he was supposed to act.

"I just mean you seem so interested in pleasing Levi these days you'd probably kill me if he told you to and it meant that you'd get into his good books," Eren snapped.

"That's not true and you know it," Armin said. He felt like crying all over again, even their argument in the corridor hadn't been this bad. Now Eren really seemed to have it in for him and was convinced that he didn't care about him one way or the other. "Why are you being so pissy about this?"

"Because you're the one who's supposed to struggle, not me," Eren replied.

Armin stared at him open mouthed, reeling from his words. _Had he really just said that?_ There was a part of him that wondered if he had. He must have heard that wrong, Eren would never be that hurtful on purpose would he. His outbursts had seemed to surprise even him as Eren seemed to be staring at Armin with wide eyes and his mouth also hanging open. If he was going to try and take it back then he was taking his sweet time about it and Armin found that he didn't want to listen to any kind of apology Eren could come up with. He hadn't held back and he had clearly meant it so what apology could he make that wouldn't come out sounding incredibly false.

"Well I guess you won't have to worry about me stealing your spotlight anymore," Armin said when he finally found his voice. "I'm done."

"What do you mean you're done?" Eren asked in a small voice. "I thought getting strong was what all this training was about."

"I am done with you," Armin stated. Without another word he turned on his heel and walked away.

He heard Eren call his name but it fell on deaf ears. After that he had neither the patience or the will to listen to him. If Eren was going to be that way that was fine; Armin didn't have to listen to it and he certainty didn't have to put up with it. He could feel angry tears pricking the corners of his eyes and he made a beeline for the deserted bathroom that only he used, desperately trying to hold himself together until he was there.

As he rounded the end of the corridor he could feel the tears beginning to fall and broke into a run. He slammed the door closed behind him although he doubted there was anyone who would either be around or who would come looking for him. He grabbed one of the nicer towels he had stolen from the regular bathrooms to use, hugged it to his chest and cried. He sobbed into the towel until his eyes stung and his throat was raw, feeling as if something irreplaceable had just been ripped out of him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Going back to work after two weeks off is hard! Anyway hope you all enjoy this :)**

"That's good Arlert, keep going," Levi called up to him as he managed to surpass his previous record of pull ups with ease. Levi watched as his biceps contracted with each lift and he found himself being amazing that this Armin was the same as the skinny kid who had come to ask him for help six months ago.

Truth be told Armin seemed to know what he was doing now and have a grasp on how he was supposed to train in order for it to be most effective so, really, he didn't need Levi there anymore. Neither of them had said anything to change the status quo and neither of them wanted to but Levi was sure that Armin could probably continue to handle pushing himself to the limit on his own.

It was strange; he hadn't expected Armin to grow on him as much as he had. He was intelligent, almost scarily so, he was interesting to talk to and he put Levi at ease to the point where he was quite happy to talk about back when he was living in the Underground. At first it had been mindless chatter to distract him while he ripped his muscles to shreds but Armin had been intrigued and asked him questions and, for once, Levi didn't feel like refusing to answer. The kid was no longer the annoying brat who had thought he could score himself brownie points by coming to training dressed like him.

Just how far he had come in such a short time was a feat in and of itself. Considering the kid had barely been able to lift his own scrawny body weight and collapsed after a run around the training ground, seeing him now was like looking at a completely different person. He had more muscles mass and he was a much more skilled soldier and it showed. Erwin and the higher ups could bang on about Eren Yeager and his shifter powers all they wanted but Levi was certain that, especially now, if anyone was going to make a difference to humanity it was going to be Armin Arlert.

"Ah Levi," Erwin's voice cut through the morning air and made Levi instantly irritated, "Hange said I'd find you out here."

"Glasses needs to learn when to shut the fuck up," he growled as Erwin reached him. Erwin fixed him with an infuriating smile and Levi had to take a deep breath to stop himself from punching him. Erwin had disturbed him from, what had so far been a pleasant morning, no doubt with another briefing about their next exterior mission to try to reach Shingashina. While he knew that he would need to hear it eventually he had wanted to enjoy the early morning sun, mostly undisturbed, for a little longer.

"I asked and Hange told me where you were," Erwin stated, "nothing more to it than that."

"Yeah well Glasses still needs to learn to shut the fuck up," Levi replied. "I was enjoying some time away from you Eyebrows, what do you want?"

"And if you had still been in your quarters, as I had originally thought, I wouldn't have found you," Erwin said smugly. Rat bastard was right but damned if Levi was going to tell him that. There was no way he would have been in his room this morning: he wouldn't miss training and actually enjoyed these sessions, especially getting to see how far Armin had come.

"So what do you want?" Levi asked when Erwin said nothing else.

"What are you even doing out here?" Erwin finally asked furrowing his brow as he looked around the training ground.

"The fuck do you think?" Levi asked. "Training."

"Then why are you just standing around?" Erwin asked, still clearly confused.

"I'm not training myself, I'm training him," Levi said jerking his head in Armin's direction. Erwin looked over to see Armin pull himself up so that he was ale to swing his legs over the post to sit on it.

"Is that Armin Arlert?" he asked taken aback. If he had expected anyone he had expected Eren and maybe for Hange to be there as well but not Armin on his own.

"Yeah," Levi replied, "and what?"

"Nothing I just did not expect you to be training him of all people," Erwin said looking over at Armin now hanging over the post and pulling himself into a sitting position in mid air. Each time he hung back down his shirt flipped down slightly to show off the impressive set of abdominal muscles he had acquired over time. "He certainly seems to have improved somewhat since I last saw him."

"That's because you don't pay attention to anything that isn't written in strategic formation," Levi quipped. "Kid's actually improved quite drastically."

"With a teacher like you pushing him until he collapses I'm not surprised," Erwin chuckled causing Levi to send a glare his way. "I am impressed though; the dramatic difference in both his shape and abilities is astounding. If you had told me that this was the same Armin Arlert Keith Shadis described as 'built like a daffodil' I wouldn't have believed you."

"You better fucking believe it," Levi said, crossing his arms triumphantly over his chest, "kid's come along way."

"Yes if we were to encounter another situation like Stohess I wouldn't feel worried that he was likely to get himself eaten," Erwin said. "He seems much more competent, as if he could handle his own and protect others if need be."

"Like I said; kid's come a long way and he's a damn good soldier now," Levi stated.

"While that is a pleasant surprise as, admittedly, I didn't expect him to last all that long after joining the regiment, especially when we began taking on exterior missions. What confuses and amazes me more is why you agreed to train him in the first place," Erwin said.

"What do you mean?" Levi asked.

"Clearly you didn't have to," Erwin replied. "I certainly didn't give an order for this so why would you use up your precious free time to train a new recruit."

"He's hardly a new recruit," Levi stated. "He's been with the regiment for pushing a year now."

"That's not exactly what I meant."

"Then what the fuck did you mean?" Levi asked. "It's early and I don't have the patience for what you're trying to dance around here." Erwin chuckled. It had been a while since he had been on the receiving end of Levi blunt honesty.

"What I mean is I am surprised that you, who is notorious for being openly hostile and... what was it Hange said? Oh yes; pushing people away because you have intimacy issues."

"I am 'openly hostile', as you put it, to people who piss me off, which is why I spend most of my time being 'openly hostile' to you and Glasses needs to learn when to shut the fuck up," Levi growled.

"Regardless I am surprised why you of all people would take on the extra work of training him in the first place," Erwin said, his smug smirk only serving to irritate Levi further. He looked over towards Armin, who had swung himself back over the post, having finished that set of exercises, and dropped himself to the floor where he began stretching out his arms.

"Because he asked," Levi replied shrugging.

"Come again?"

"He asked me to train him and I accepted," Levi said again, spelling it out. Erwin stared at him, open mouthed, for a second. That was the last thing he had expected to come out of Levi's mouth.

"I'm sorry, let me get this straight," he said, "he asked you to train him?"

"Yes."

"And you agreed?"

"Yes."

"Now that I find much too hard to believe," Erwin said after a pause.

"Why?" Levi asked. "He asked and I agreed, there's nothing more to it than that."

"Of course but you can understand my confusion," Erwin said. "I mean what exactly are you getting out of this arrangement?" There was a definite tone to his voice that heavily implied something and that rubbed Levi the wrong way.

"Absolutely nothing," he replied truthfully.

"Then I don't understand your motivation for doing it."

"He's got heart and he wants to make a difference," Levi explained. "What the fuck is wrong with helping him get there."

"But has your helping him been equally detrimental in other areas aside from his physical fitness and stamina?" Erwin asked. "Have you sacrificed his brains in order to build upon his brawn?"

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Levi asked scowling. Erwin simply smirked at him before turning to Armin, who was in the middle of stretching out his hamstrings.

"Armin," he called over, "can you come here for a moment please?" Armin jogged over to them and saluted the both of them as he reached them.

"Good morning Commander Erwin," he said and Erwin was surprised to note that, despite having done some quite complex exercises, Armin didn't seem to be out of breath at all. "How is the morning treating you?"

"Very well thank you Armin," Erwin replied also surprised to note that Levi's bad attitude hadn't rubbed off on him either. The regiment already had one perpetually scowling killing machine, they didn't need another. "I actually came here to talk to you in fact."

"To me Sir?" Armin asked his brows furrowed in confusion. Levi narrowed his eyes at Erwin. _What's he playing at? Like hell this was what he came down here for._

"Yes," Erwin said smiling. "I have some strategic formations that I have been looking at for too long, I could really do with a second pair of eyes and I know from what I have heard that you are quite the strategist yourself," Erwin said. Armin's face practically lit up at the praise.

"I'd be honoured Sir," he said, beaming.

"Excellent," Erwin said and handed him one of the papers that he had been carrying. "Now this is on a much smaller scale than the plan I ordinarily use but this is a rough draft of..."

"Our current scouting formation," Armin finished for him as he looked over the paper.

"Exactly," Erwin said. "Now there are a few changes that I have been thinking of making, nothing too drastic mind just simple ones here and there."

"Do you need to Sir?" Armin asked, his eyebrows knitting together under his fringe as he looked at the plan in his hand. "With all due respect the formation works as it is, wouldn't it be detrimental to suddenly change it now, especially if we are planning another exterior mission any time soon?"

"While I do agree with you I do believe that the changes I intend to make would benefit the regiment and assure that more of us returned alive at the end of it," Erwin said.

"What are the changes you are currently planning for Sir?"Armin asked.

"I was planning on bringing this unit here in," Erwin said pointing to the group at the edge on Armin's right hand side, "and placing them here behind the centre guard." He pointed to another place on the plan.

Armin frowned as he thought about Erwin's proposal and so did Levi. That would leave way too many of them exposed and would only result in more deaths as they would all be in one big clump. Even Levi knew that was wrong so what the hell was Erwin up to?

"Are you sure Sir?" Armin asked furrowing his brow in confusion. "That will leave this side completely exposed and unprepared for if they are suddenly attacked."

"I suppose that is a rather large downside," Erwin mused. "We'll need as much of a head's up as possible, especially if we encounter another like the female Titan."

"Might I suggest," Armin said tentatively, as if he thought he were overstepping the line just by voicing his thoughts, "that you move the unit here if you're going to move them anywhere." He pointed to another section on the plan, not where they had originally been but where they would be spaced out enough in order for them to see further and cover a greater distance without the worry of ending up under the feet of those in front of them.

Levi watched Erwin's face carefully as he seemed to be taking in Armin's suggestion and weighing up the pros and cons of it in his head. He didn't put much stock in strategies – how on earth could you plan out a mission when your enemy was so unstable and unpredictable? – but he knew that Armin was a genius. If there was anything that he could suggest to make Erwin's formation better it was probably worth listening too. A smile spread over Erwin's face as he looked up at Armin.

"Now that is a much better idea," he said. "Thank you Armin I will begin drawing up a new formation plan to take this into account."

"Thank you Sir," Armin replied beaming. Levi could see the pride shinning in his eyes and he felt a smile begin to tug at the corners of his lips. He suppressed it, not wishing to smile in front of Erwin, but it was still nice to see the kid happy, especially considering that he had been having a tough time of it lately. One morning he had accidentally blurted out about his fight with Eren so that evening Levi had taken him to his quarters and they had drunk until Armin had passed out on the sofa. The hangover the next day had been awful (for Armin anyway) but being able to talk about it and get everything off his chest had helped.

"You may return to your training," Erwin said. Armin nodded and saluted.

"Thank you so much for the opportunity Sir," he said before darting off to finish the rest of his muscular exercises routine.

"Did you get what you wanted from him?" Levi asked once Armin was out of earshot.

"I certainly did," Erwin replied smiling.

"Even I knew you 'redesigned formation' was bullshit, what made you think that he was going to agree with you in anyway?" Levi asked.

"I didn't want him to," Erwin replied.

"Sure whatever, because you were testing to see if I'd trained the smart out of him," Levi said sarcastically.

"Something like that," Erwin chuckled. "He's a good strategist and he has good ideas, it would be a shame to waste that just because he is building his muscular strength."

"Kid knows what he's doing, it's fine," Levi stated. "He was the one who chose to do this after all."

"That still doesn't explain what's in it for you," Erwin said.

"I told you nothing's in it for me," Levi replied.

"Then why do it?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you Eyebrows," Levi snapped. "Just get it through your head that it's happening."

"Fair enough," Erwin said. Whether he was happy with Levi's response or not Levi had no idea but he wasn't going to stop and ask. The less Erwin tried to probe into what was going on inside his head the better.

Erwin looked over at Armin holding his bodyweight up on his elbows, his back a perfectly straight line, completely still and in control. He really had come a long way thanks to Levi's training. Erwin had no idea how he had done it, and didn't think Levi would tell him if he asked, but it was clear that he had done something worthwhile.

"You know I think that if he can get a kill count as impressive as yours when you were his age then he could make Commander with his physical skills combined with his mental skills," Erwin stated.

"Bare in mind when I was his age I hadn't even been topside," Levi reminded him. "When I was his age my kill count consisted of thugs and criminals and anyone who happened to piss me off."

"Either way," Erwin said, "I certainly believe that he has the potential to become the next Commander. I may have to start grooming him for the position."

"See when that comes out of your mouth it makes you sound like you want to fuck him." Levi said. "You sound like a dirty old man."

"If you say so," Erwin replied, smirking at him. "You are the one who sees him sweating and in various degrees of clothed on a daily basis." Levi saw the taunt but he wasn't going to rise to it, not this time. He sighed. He might as well give Erwin what he wanted, he didn't seem to be going away any time soon.

"He reminds me of Furlan," he said.

"Pardon?"

"He reminds me of Furlan," Levi said again. "Not as calculating and much more naïve 'cause while Shinganshina was a mess it's got nothing on the Underground but he's got that same intellect and he just wants to look out for his friends and get out alive. Kind of reminds me a bit of Isabel as well."

"Of course..." Erwin said after a pause. Of course that was why he had said that he would help Armin in the first place; because he had seen something, no matter how small, of his old friends in him.

"I told you what you wanted to hear, now get gone. I'm busy," Levi said turning his attention back to Armin.

"Of course," Erwin nodded. "I'll leave you to it but think about what I said. If he can prove that he is as skilled as you are then he could easily make Commander."

"Whatever," Levi said. He might have sounded disinterested but he knew that Erwin was right. Armin was certainly smart enough and now he even had the physical skills to back it up. If he was honest, Levi though he would actually make a very good Commander; one he wouldn't mind following.


	7. Chapter 7

**Levi being a proud Mama Hen for precious baby Armin haha, enjoy :)**

"Alright cadets fall in!" Shadis shouted and the cadets who had been milling around fell into line in front of him. "Attention!" Under his steely gaze they all snapped to attention. "In case of another Titan attack we need to make sure that you are all fit, in shape and up to the challenge of taking down a Titan at a minutes notice."

Levi looked down at the small group of cadets they had taken on since Trost – the ones that were left alive – and thought how lacking in capability some of them looked. Obviously they had to be because they had passed their basic training, Shadis himself had signed them off as capable so they had to be at least decent soldiers. Realistically he could count the number of cadets that he thought were capable enough to stand on their own merit on one hand and one of them was cheating because he could turn into a giant raging ball of death.

"Today you will be put through your paces in a test of physical stamina and if you fail you will be put through your paces again until you can prove that you are good enough to take on a Titan single handedly." Shadis said. "You will be pitted against each other in a track race and those who place in the top five will have proven their worth as a soldier of our regiment."

 _This is pointless_ , Levi thought. There was no point in exhausting the cadets now just in case there was a sudden attack. If Trost and Shinganshina were anything to go by it could just suddenly happen... which was the point of the exercise but it felt to Levi as if it defeated the object. Again there were only a few of them who could actually hold their own.

"You know it will be interesting to see how each of them place now that they have faced Titans for themselves a few times," Erwin said to Levi as Shadis continued shouting at the cadets. Levi looked over at him, his usual disinterested expression on his face.

"Really?" he asked. "You actually think that this is going to prove anything?"

"It will at least prove how ready they are to jump into action at a given moment," Erwin stated.

"If you say so," Levi shrugged. "I don't actually know if any of them have been keeping up with the training they went through with Shadis. They've gotten lazy."

"I know one at least who hasn't," Erwin said fixing Levi with a knowing smile. Levi rolled his eyes and looked over at Armin in the crowd.

"He's the exception to the rule."

"He certainly has come a long way," Erwin said, "but there were a large number of people in his class who were significantly better than him during their basic training."

"What are you trying to say?" Levi asked.

"All I am saying is not to expect him to place first," Erwin replied.

"Don't underestimate him," Levi stated. "He's stronger than you think." He had to admit that he had made the same mistake when he had started training Armin almost eight months ago. He had underestimated just how determined he was to become the soldier that stood before Levi in a crowd that, most of them, wouldn't live to see their thirtieth birthday.

"That may be so but do you really think that he is faster than Ackerman or Yeager?" Erwin asked.

"Yeager most definitely," Levi replied. "The brat relies too heavily on his abilities to get him through a fight so I doubt he had done anything to improve himself since Stohess that isn't focused on being able to transform into a Titan."

"And Ackerman?"

"She's good but she's got no drive," Levi said. "She only pays attention to what Yeager is doing and, for some reason, wants to protect him. That is her sole purpose in life. Without that she has nothing and that's why she's not actually as good as you all seem to think she is. Arlert at least has drive."

"That may be true but it takes more than determination to be a soldier," Erwin said.

"Are you saying that I haven't trained him well enough?" Levi asked, there was a definite edge to his voice a fierce pride rising up inside him. If Erwin insulted Armin's abilities it was basically insulting Levi's – he was the one who had trained him after all. If Armin didn't at least place in the top three then he would never hear the end of it, certain that Erwin would class it as time wasted.

"I'm saying nothing of the sort," Erwin said smirking. "No need to get so defensive, I am merely saying that I don't believe he can outmatch those who were so far ahead of him."

"It sure as shit sounds like you're saying that I didn't train him well enough," Levi muttered darkly.

"Well, I never thought I'd see the day when you would get this defensive over a cadet," Erwin chuckled. Levi just glared at him in response. "Ackerman was still the top of their class when they graduated from the 104th. I know Arlert has come a long way but do you really believe that your little protégé can outrun her?"

"Yes."

"Enough to make a wager on it?" Erwin asked with an eyebrow raised in challenge.

"Sure," Levi shrugged, "why not?" If Armin did managed to beat Mikasa, which Levi was almost certain that he could, then he would have the satisfaction of being able to rub Erwin's face in it. Winning some of his money in the process would also be incredibly fucking satisfying.

* * *

"Ready, set, go!" Shadis shouted before firing a starting pistol into the air. As the sound rang out the cadets began to run. Their objective was to do five laps of the large training ground and at the end of the final lap one of them would be declared the winner. Levi kept an eye on Armin, his bright blond hair making him much easier to spot in the sea of dark brown and black. He seemed as if he was lagging behind. _Good, no point wasting all your energy when you're just out of the gate, save some for the end._

Erwin could say what he wanted, Levi knew that Armin was going to beat Mikasa. While he still didn't have the raw power that some of the others did he had speed, he had stamina and he had determination. Something Levi had noticed since he had first started training him: if Armin wanted to do something then he was going to do it. It made him formidable, regardless of whether other people saw it or not.

It didn't matter that some of the others, like Eren and Mikasa, had already stretched out quite far in front of him he would catch up the them. Eventually they would tire and because it didn't look as if they were being smart with their energy conservation then there was every chance that they would tire quickly and drop out.

"It seems as if you may have spoken prematurely when you assured me that Arlert would be able to beat Ackerman," Erwin said. "She's much too far out in front for him to be able to catch up to her now."

"You're still underestimating him," Levi said not taking his eyes off the field. Armin was still in the larger section in the middle, far enough in front of the stragglers but not out in front enough to be considered one of the elite. _Come on Arlert, I know you can do this_.

"All I'm saying is it appears that you are going to own me quite a bit of money by the end of this," Erwin said and Levi didn't have to look at him to know that he was smirking, that bastard was going to start gloating even though he hadn't won yet. "I think I'll..."

"Well that I didn't expect to see..." Shadis said, suddenly appearing at Erwin's shoulder and cutting him off.

"What?" Erwin asked.

"Look at Arlert," Shadis nodded over to the cadets and Erwin turned to see Armin edging out from the group in the middle to catch up with the likes of Eren and Jean. They were on their third lap now and he was tapping into the energy he hadn't wasted with a eager start. "Who'd have thought the daffodil had it in him."

"Quite," Erwin said and there was a definite edge to his voice. Levi felt him stiffen next to him and knew that he was going to be pissed at the amount of money he had bet against Armin's victory.

"I told you you were underestimating him," was all Levi said.

He watched, his eyes fixed on Armin as he closed the distance between himself and Eren. From everything Armin had told him about their arguments and how tense the passed couple of months had been between them, Levi knew Eren was not going to like that. If he did lose to Armin it would be a good thing; for one Levi would get to win Erwin's money and for another it might give the lazy brat the boot up the arse he needed to shape up.

"Kirshtein's down!" Shadis exclaimed. Sure enough, Jean seemed to had lost his footing and fallen face first to the floor. With expert timing and grace Armin jumped, clearing Jean and continuing round the track. Eren wasn't so lucky and landed in a heap on top of him. "Yeager's down too. He's going to be pissed."

Neither Levi or Erwin replied, both were too busy with their eyes trained on the track. The cadets were on their final lap now and Armin had closed the distance between himself and Mikasa even more, he had edged out Reiner and Bertolt and was now running neck and neck with her. If he had been smart and strategised as Levi knew he would have done he would still have a reserve of energy for a last burst. Erwin was going to eat his words and it was going to be so fucking satisfying. Through his calm and disinterested demeanour no one would ever have know that Levi's heart was pounding in his ears as he willed Armin to close the last of the distance and win.

"Well I never thought I'd see the day when Arlert and Ackerman were running neck and neck in a race," Shadis said.

"He's come a hell of a long way since basic training," Levi stated.

"Clearly," Shadis said. "Who'd have thought the kid had it in him." Levi gave Erwin a smug smirk before he turned back to the track to see Armin finally edging out Mikasa.

Ever from where he was standing at almost the other side of the training ground Levi could see her shock as Armin passed her. She seemed to falter but continued running, although from her slightly sluggish movements it was clear that she was getting tired while Armin still seemed to have energy to spare.

Shadis made his way down to the edge of the track to call out the winner as they passed him but there was no doubt in Levi's mind that it was going to be Armin. He had pushed ahead too far to lose it now. Mikasa seemed to be making a valiant effort to try and claw back her lead but Armin wasn't having any of it. He managed to keep out in front of her right until he reached Shadis and was declared the winner.

"I believe," Levi said not even bothering to disguise the smug satisfaction in his voice as the rest of the cadets slowly began to finish the race, "that you owe me some money."

"Well done," Erwin said. His voice was level but Levi knew that he was irritated. Not because he had been called out for still underestimating Armin, not even because he had been proved wrong. Mostly it was because he had been proved wrong by Levi and lost money in the process. "It seems as if your gamble on him paid off."

"Since when have you ever known me to be wrong about someone's abilities when they try as hard as he does?" Levi asked.

"This is true." Erwin looked down at Armin where he was receiving congratulations on his victory from the vast majority of his peers. "His improvement speaks volumes for both your skills and his."

"Still grooming him to be the next you?" Levi asked, knowing exactly where Erwin's thought process was going.

"Now more so than ever."

* * *

Later that afternoon, once the others had left him alone, Levi found Armin still on the training ground working through his routine of stretching out his muscles. He chuckled to himself. Even after proving everybody wrong about his abilities Armin would rather spend some time alone finishing making sure that he was ready to go again the next day before going off to celebrate with the others.

"Good afternoon Captain," Armin said, snapping to attention as soon as he saw Levi approaching.

"Afternoon," Levi said. "At ease." Armin dropped his stance. "You did incredibly well out there today."

"Thank you Sir," Armin said, his entire face lighting up and a huge smile spreading across his face.

"You remembered your training and you didn't run headlong into it without thinking like some of the rest of them," Levi said. "That shows you have the skill and determination to face whatever challenges come your way now."

"Thank you Sir," Armin said again. "And thank you for taking the time and effort to train me. I know you didn't have to and I know it was an inconvenience to you but I really am truly grateful to you."

"If it was that much of an inconvenience then I wouldn't have done it," Levi stated. "I pushed you as hard as I did because I knew that you could do it and you have proved today that you can. I'm incredibly proud of how far you've come." Armin's grin nearly split his face in two. His eyes were shining and he looked as if he could barely contain his excitement. Levi even allowed himself to smile at that.

"Thank you Sir," Armin said a little breathlessly as he visibly tried to stop himself from throwing his arms around Levi's neck and hugging him. It was unlikely to land him with a beating but he was glad that he didn't.

"I'll let you get back to your stretching," Levi said. "I just wanted to tell you that. You did good out there today kid."

"Thank you Captain, I couldn't have done it without you," Armin said.

Levi turned and was about to leave when a sudden thought crossed his mind. After the excitement of the race had calmed down Erwin had presented him with two pouches of money that totalled to his winnings. He pulled one of them out of the inside of his jacket and turned to face Armin again.

"Here catch," he said throwing it to him.

"What's this?" Armin asked as he caught the pouch expertly.

"Half the winnings from a little bet I had going with Erwin today," Levi stated. "It's rightfully yours as you did most of the work."

"You bet on me to win?" Armin asked.

"Of course I did," Levi replied. "I was hardly going to bet against you."

"Thank you Sir." Armin's eyes were sparkling with pride at Levi's words.

"Take some time off to celebrate," Levi told him. "You've earned it."

"Yes Sir," Armin nodded, feeling his chest swell with pride. He could not have been happier if he had been handed a medal of honour and, in a way, he felt as if he had.


	8. Chapter 8

**Just a short one today, hope you all enjoy :)**

The next time Armin turned up for a training session Levi was already there ready and waiting for him. Since he had proved that the training he had been undergoing at the track test had been worth it each session had felt both easier and harder at the same time. Levi had been pushing him harder, because he knew that he could do it, but he didn't find it as difficult as he used to. His muscles had adapted and he had become much stronger, his stamina had improved and he was sure that if he had been thrown out into the field then he would definitely have been able to hold his own.

"Good morning Captain," he said as he reached him.

"Morning," Levi replied. "So are you ready for training this morning?"

"As always Sir," Armin said beaming. A small smile tugged the corner of Levi's lips at Armin's enthusiasm. It never ceased to amaze him just how pleased and excited Armin was every single morning even when he knew that he was going to be put through his paces and was probably going to ache later on that day.

"This morning I've got something different I'd like you to do," Levi said.

"Yes Sir."

"This morning you and I are going to spar," he continued as if Armin hadn't spoken. "If you can beat me then there will be nothing more I can teach you."

"So my training will be over?" Armin asked. There was a flash of disappointment on his face as that realisation sunk in. Of course there was going to be an end to it – Levi couldn't exactly train him forever and eventually he was going to have to put all the theory into practice out on the field in an actual fight.

"If you'd like to look at it that way," Levi replied. "If you manage to beat me then you will have completed your training and be ready to take on Titans outside the walls."

"Okay," Armin said nodding.

"So get yourself ready and we'll get started when you are."

Armin nodded and removed his jacket. He knew he should really keep it on as he would have to be able to fight with in on out in the field but he had sparred enough times in full uniform to know that he could. His heart was pounding. He had never once managed to beat Levi when they sparred but if he managed to now then he would really have achieved something. Not that he really wanted his training to be over but knowing that there was nothing more Levi could teach him was a strangely nice thought; it meant that they were equals in terms of skills.

"Are you ready?" Levi asked as Armin stood in front of him and raised his arms to guard himself.

"Yes," Armin replied keeping his eyes fixed on Levi. The guy was fast and unpredictable and Armin knew that he had to be on the alert if he wanted to have any hope of winning.

"Then let's go," Levi said.

Armin waited, ready and alert, but it was still a surprise when Levi's fist seemed to appear out of nowhere right next to his shoulder. His reactions were quick enough and he managed to block him before sending a punch of his own Levi's way. He blocked the blow before Armin could land it and began a counter strike. Armin had been studying Levi's movements during their sparring sessions for so long now that he had almost anticipated it.

When it seemed as if Levi was distracted with his upper body Armin sent a kick his way, swiping his legs out from under him. He felt rather proud of that – he had never once managed to get Levi on the floor before – but Levi was on his feet before he had time to savour his victory. A few more punches were thrown his way but he was able to anticipate them and block them before they could land. _This isn't too bad, I can do this._

Armin looked over at Levi and he seemed completely unperturbed by the fact that Armin was clearly beating him. His face was completely neutral, leaving Armin guessing what was going on inside his head but that was nothing new. Throughout all the time that they had spent together Armin had never once been able to guess what was going on inside Levi's head so the best that he could do in a sparring match was anticipate his movements.

He sent another kick Levi's way, this time from the other side, and swiped his legs out from under him so that he was on the ground. This time he waisted no time letting him get to his feet again and was on him, trying to pin him so that he could claim victory. Before he could, though, Levi managed to flip their positions so that he was now on top of Armin. Armin struggled, seeing his chance at victory slip through his fingers but Levi had him pinned and there was no way for him to get out of it. With a sinking heart he finally stopped moving and submitted.

Levi got to his feet and Armin sat up, hanging his head. He couldn't believe he had come so far and still managed to fail. He could feel tears pricking the corners of his eyes but he blinked them away, gritting his teeth and willing himself to hold it together. A hand appeared in front of his face and he looked up at Levi.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Yeah," Armin replied. He took Levi's hand and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet, feeling too limp to do it on his own.

"Why the long face?" Levi asked once he was standing.

"I'm sorry," Armin said sighing. "I just thought that I would be good enough to show you that I'm ready to go out there on my own and I've completed my training but I messed up."

Levi studied him for a moment; taking in the hurt in Armin's eyes and how beaten down he looked because he thought he had failed. All the kid had ever wanted was to prove to himself and everyone else that he was ready to take on the horrors of the outside world. It was commendable, especially his determination and drive to actually make a difference.

"You didn't mess up," he said.

"But I lost," Armin said. "My training clearly isn't over, if that had been someone who was trying to kill me rather than you then I would be dead."

"And if it had been someone trying to kill you, you would have been acting on instinct as well as all the strategiesing you were doing," Levi told him. "I could see the cogs working in your head while we were fighting. The only thing I'll say is you may have spent a little too much time in your head in that fight. Your technique was good and you've developed your own style since we began your training so that would be my only criticism and that isn't necessarily a bad thing. When it comes to actually using this outside the training ground a lot of what will get you through will be instinct and adrenaline."

"I suppose so," Armin nodded. That made him feel slightly better. He had never thought that he might be holding back a little because he was so focused on trying to beat Levi's technique. "But it still means that my training isn't over, right? You said that if I beat you then you would have nothing left to teach me and my training was over."

"I didn't say your training would be over," Levi stated.

"What?"

"You can finish a training course, you can finish basic training, but actually training and making yourself better and stronger is never over," he said. "There is nothing left that I can teach you but that doesn't mean you're as good as you're ever going to be. You need to figure the rest out for yourself as you go along."

"So I didn't fail?" Armin asked, his voice brightening.

Levi chuckled softly, it still amused him after all this time that Armin still doubted his abilities as much as he did. The kid was good enough to even stand a chance against him and that was something even soldiers like Erwin couldn't boast.

"You didn't fail," he replied. "You missed the point of what I was trying to teach you with this one but you didn't fail."

"Then forgive me Sir but can you tell me the point?" Armin asked.

"It's not about your training being over," Levi replied. "It's always about becoming better. People tell me I'm the strongest man in the world and I will keep working hard enough to own that title because there is always someone who will be nipping at your heels trying to surpass you and you, I think, could very well do that one day."

"Surpass you Sir?"

"Possibly," Levi said. "Or you can make your own name for yourself on your own merit. Choice is yours."

"Then I chose to make my own way," Amrin said saluting him. "I won't live in anyone's shadow Sir."

"Good," Levi smiled. The kid really was full of surprises and, whether he thought it himself or not, he was going to go far. "And you don't have to keep calling me Sir."

"I don't?"

"I think you've earned the right to call me Levi, don't you?"

Armin's entire face was lit up by his smile.


	9. Chapter 9

**Now Armin-strong has become Armin-strongest :D enjoy**

"Alright troops," Erwin shouted over the lull of conversation emanating from the ranks behind him, "this is the fifty-eighth Exterior Scouting Mission. This time we will push forward to Shinganshina if we are able. Keep to formation and we should be aware of the Titans before they take us by surprise."

It had been a year since Stohess and this time as Armin sat with the rest of the Regiment, in his place in the formation, he felt as if he was ready. He had taken down Titans before, he had been on missions outside the walls and he was still standing, he had even taken down Eren when he was on a rampage. This time he felt no fear as he sat while some of the newer recruits that they had recently picked up looked as if they were about to be sick.

He could hardly blame them, most of them had just graduated from their basic training and really shouldn't be going out into the field but with the Survey Corps numbers being what they were and what they were likely to come back with Erwin needed every able bodied soldier he could get his hands on. He looked over at the kid sitting next to him, a baby-faced boy with red hair who was shaking violently.

"Hey," Armin said softly and the boy looked over at him.

"Yes Sir?"

"It's going to be alright," he told him. "Just remember your training and keep to the formation."

"Yes Sir," the boy said nodding vigorously.

"You don't have to call me Sir," Armin said with a smile. "I'm not a Squad Leader or a Captain. Just call me Armin."

"Okay," the boy said nodding again.

"What's your name?" Armin asked hoping that if he kept talking then he would distract the boy from his nerves. He could see a lot of himself in him the first time he had gone on an exterior mission; he had felt so unprepared despite having been at Shinganshina during the first attack and at Trost during the second.

"Doyle," he replied.

"Good luck out there today Doyle," Armin said as Erwin called for their attention. "Just stick to what you've been taught in your training and you'll be fine."

"Okay," Doyle nodded smiling. He looked a little less like he was going to pass out and there was a little more colour in his cheeks.

"Troops fall out!" Erwin shouted from the front of the formation as the gates began to rise allowing them out into the world.

Armin dug his heels into his horse's sides to get it moving. This was going to be a long mission but, if it was successful then they might actually be able to push far enough forward for Armin to see home for the first time in nearly seven years.

* * *

The success of a mission often depended on whether or not they were taken by surprise by the Titans or if they were the one's doing the ambushing. Unfortunately once again they were taken by surprise. There didn't seem to be any like Eren or Annie among the group that found them but there were three abnormals as well as a large number of other Titans in varying sizes. The outer ranks were hit the hardest and almost as soon as the Titans broke through, getting closer and closer to the centre, there was a flash of lightning and Eren emerged in his Titan form.

Being on the ground made the ODM Gear virtually useless but it wasn't the first time Armin had had to engage it while the only things for the hooks to latch onto were the Titans themselves. He managed to take at least four of them down before they were overwhelmed but their numbers were depleted from the last exterior mission and Stohess and, as more Titans seemed to flock to the scene, Erwin gave the order to fall back, leaving only a select few on the field to try and fend them off.

Even with Eren fighting in Titan form there had never been a guarantee of a victory but, then again, neither had having any one person fighting their corner. He managed to take down a significant number of the enemy but at a great cost to his own strength and power and before he had the chance to react he found himself ripped out of his Titan body and thrown to the floor. It took him too long to become alert enough to do anything but stare up at the Titan now looming over him, ready to strike.

He couldn't move, he couldn't think, he couldn't do anything but sit, rooted to the spot, and wait for death to come. As the Titan's hand reached out for him he tried one last ditch attempt to do something and raised his own hand to his mouth and bit down hard, hoping that if he could transform again then he would be alright. But nothing happened. Eren sat there, blood beginning to ooze from his hand where he had bitten, staring up at the Titan with wide eyes as he realised he last option for saving himself had failed. He closed his eyes and waited for it to be over.

"Eren!" Mikasa's voice shouted and Eren opened his eyes to see her flying through the air towards the Titan above him. With a flash of steel she sunk her blades into the back of the Titan's neck and it fell to the floor, wobbling as it did so. Without anything nearby to attach her gear too Mikasa fell with the Titan. As it landed, face first, on the ground she slipped and fell to the floor landing on her gear. One of the gas canisters split open and she looked down at it in horror realising that their only chance of escape now was on foot.

"Mikasa your gear," Eren said as he reached her. Mikasa looked up from the broken canister at him. He looked a state; covered in blood, his clothes torn and no gear either.

"Where's yours?" she asked.

"Must have lost it when I shifted," he replied. "What do we do now? What's happening?"

"Commander Erwin's given the order to retreat," she told him, "so we find a horse and get back to the gate as fast as we can."

"But..." Eren began but was cut off by the stomping of huge feet from behind them. Slowly both he and Mikasa turned to see another huge Titan looming over them, the usual manic grin spread over it's face.

"Run!" Mikasa shouted and the two of them scrambled to their feet and began to run. As he tried to stand Eren slipped and fell and that gave the Titan the opportunity to reach out with a huge hand and pick him up the the scruff of the neck. He cried out in shock as he was lifted into the air, Mikasa turned to see him dangling from the Titan's hand and began to run back towards them both. "Eren!"

"Run away you idiot!" he shouted down at her. "Your gear's fucked, save yourself."

"No!" she shouted. "I've got enough gas to use it once more, I can save you."

"Use that to get yourself back alive," he told her.

"But..."

"Just do it!" Eren shouted back, closing his eyes. He struggled in mid-air but as the Titan was holding onto his clothes rather than him in proved to be virtually useless. He finally stopped struggling and opened his eyes to look down into the huge open mouth of the Titan and he realised that he was going to die. He felt tears pricking the corners of his eyes but he swallowed them down as best he could, it was ridiculous but he didn't want his final moments to be crying for his life, like a coward.

Suddenly the Titan let go of him and he fell into its mouth and began to fall down it's throat. _This is the end, this is how I die_. He reached out hoping to try and find purchase on the Titan's tongue to stop himself from falling then maybe he could try to climb out but found nothing just wet and slime that was impossible to grab.

Then something solid and firm closed around his wrist. He opened his eyes to see that it was a hand and looked up towards the Titan's open mouth, which was being forced apart by one of the person's blades and their sheer force of will, pushing against the bottom set of teeth with their boot. Eren squinted up at his saviour, trying to work out who it was. It could only have been two people but the hair wasn't long enough for Mikasa and it was too long to be Levi. Whoever it was began to pull Eren up, out from the Titan's throat and it wasn't until he got closer to them that he saw a flash of blond.

"Armin?" he asked, his voice shaking as Armin pulled him up, with one arm, so that Eren was against his chest.

"Are you alright?" Armin asked.

"Yeah," Eren replied feeling dwarfed by Armin's new found strength. Except it wasn't new found, he realised; this is what he had been doing all those evenings and mornings he spent on the training ground with Levi – learning how to become stronger.

"Good," Armin said. He wrapped an arm around Eren's waist and turned the both of them so that they were facing outwards. "You ready to grab on?"

"What?" Eren asked but Mikasa flew round the Titan's shoulder and appeared before he could find out. Before he knew what was happening Armin heaved and threw him in Mikasa's direction. She just about caught him.

"Get yourselves out of here you don't have enough gas to do anything else," Armin told them and cold fear began to wash over Eren again. Was Armin about to do what he though he was about to do?

"What about you?" he asked, voice trembling and tears filling his eyes as he looked back at Armin.

"I'll be alright," Armin replied. "Now go."

Before either Eren or Mikasa could stop him Armin removed his blade from between the Titan's top teeth and they snapped shut over him. Eren felt his entire world come crashing to a halt as he stared up at the closed teeth as he and Mikasa fell to the floor. He struggled against her grip on him, which hadn't been overly secure to begin with and reached out as if trying to get to Armin to save him.

"Armin!" he screamed. His chest felt as if it was ripping in two and tears began to stream down his cheeks. It was like watching his mother die all over again. He had been awful to Armin in recent months and now he would never get the chance to apologise or properly thank him for saving his life. As he and Mikasa landed on the floor he felt himself crumble, folding in on himself as if trying to hold himself together and sobbed. He felt Mikasa's hand tugging his arm but he shrugged her off. She tugged harder.

"Come on," she said and Eren could hear the tremble in her voice as well, "he told us to get out of here so we need to do that."

"But I can do something," Eren said weakly. "I can transform again, I... I can try and save him."

"Eren please..." Mikasa tugged his arm again and he could hear the pain in her voice. "We need to go."

"I don't want to leave him," he said. He heard Mikasa take a shuddering breath and her voice seemed to stick in her throat as she spoke.

"It's not like there's a body to leave."

Eren felt himself break as that realisation hit home. She was right; Armin was gone and there was nothing left of him to take back. A scream of agony ripped through him as he hugged himself tighter trying to hold it all in but failing.

"Eren!" Mikasa screamed and he finally looked up to see the Titan reaching down for the both of them again. Once again he found himself rooted to the spot, unable to move, think or do anything.

The Titan stopped suddenly in mid reach, hand still stretched out to grab Eren, and a sickening spurting sound filled the air. Both Eren and Mikasa looked up to see blood beginning to drip down to the ground from the back of the Titan's neck and from where she was standing Mikasa could see a blade sticking out of its neck, glinting in the sun. The blade began to move from the inside, slowly at first but faster and faster until it was nothing but a flash of steel, and the Titan's head fell to the floor completely separate from its body, which followed shortly afterwards. Neither Eren or Mikasa dared to move, both waiting for it to regenerate and try to kill them again but it remained motionless on the floor.

Finally a figure began to emerge through the steam. Panting heavily and covered in Titan blood and saliva came Armin. He threw the ruined blade in his hand away, letting it clatter against the ground and shook as much of the excess fluid off himself as possible. Eren stared in disbelief and joy, wondering if he had actually just died and was seeing things, as Armin ran a hand through his hair, his fringe sticking back with the gunk he was caked in. Any attempt at cleaning himself seemed to be proving futile but all Eren could focus on was the fact that he was alive and in front of him. He pushed himself to his feet and ran over to him.

"Hey I thought I told you to get out of..." Armin began when he saw Eren but was cut off as he was tackled to the floor, Eren throwing his arms around him and sobbing into his shoulder. "Hey," he said softly wrapping his arms around Eren as he continued to cry, "it's okay, I'm still here."

"I'm sorry," Eren sobbed tightening his grip around Armin's neck. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," Armin said, hugging Eren back just as tightly.

"No," Eren shook his head, not seeming to care that he was covering himself in the same mess Armin was covered in. All he cared about was the fact that Armin was there in front of him, he was real, he wasn't dreaming and he had the chance to make up for everything. "Don't leave me again okay?"

"Promise," Armin chuckled. He didn't have the energy to try to shift Eren so they could both get to their feet, find some horses and get back to the safety of the gate. Beheading that Titan from the inside out had taken almost everything he had out of him and he wanted nothing more than to stay where he was but he knew that wasn't an option. He heard and felt through the ground the pounding of horse hooves, that pulled up to a halt just behind them.

"Is this really the time or the place for a rest?" Levi's sceptical voice said from above them. Armin looked up against the glare of the sun and saw Levi sitting astride a horse, another in tow, and staring down at them with a raised eyebrow.

"Hi Captain," Armin said. Knowing that it was Levi standing above them made Eren snap back to himself. He jumped to his feet, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand and trying to seem composed. Once he was free Armin managed to heave himself to his feet with great difficulty as fatigue was beginning to set in. When he finally got to his feet Levi looked from him to Eren, taking in their dishevelled and damp appearances, and grimaced.

"What the hell happened to you two?" he asked. "What are you covered in?" Eren opened his mouth to answer but found his voice sticking in his throat. Luckily for him Armin was still able to answer, even if he was having trouble catching his breath.

"Titan saliva," he replied, "some blood too." He sounded way too cheerful about the whole situation.

"Disgusting," Levi said glaring at him.

"Once you're inside those things are really difficult to get out of," Armin stated. Levi snorted and rolled his eyes.

"I wouldn't know," he said, "I've never been stupid enough to get eaten by one."

"Technically I wasn't actually eaten," Armin said and both Eren and Mikasa stared at him in disbelief. Surely he was about to be beaten to the ground and reminded of his place for sounding so blasé when talking to a commanding officer. Levi shook his head.

"Do you want to talk about technicalities or do you want to get back inside the walls?" he asked.

"I think I'd like to go back inside," Armin replied.

"Then get on the horse," Levi said handing Armin the reigns of the other horse he had bought with him. "I only found one so we'll have to double up."

"Okay," Armin said and heaved himself into the saddle. Eren took a step towards the horse Levi was on, not sure what he was supposed to be doing but was stopped by Levi's hand appearing in front of his face.

"Hell no you're disgusting, you're not riding with me," he said. Eren blinked up at him, not knowing what he was supposed to do. Levi turned to Mikasa. "Ackerman you're with me, Yeager you go with Arlert, he's already filthy." Eren nodded and went over to Armin's horse as Mikasa pulled herself up behind Levi.

"Need a hand?" Armin asked holding his hand out. Eren took it and, with a strength that Eren had no idea he possessed, Armin pulled him to sit on the horse behind him. He wrapped his arms around Armin's waist, holding him tightly.

"Thank you," he said, his voice barely above a whisper as he pressed his cheek against Armin's back.

"It's okay," Armin said placing his hand on top of Eren's and giving it a squeeze before taking hold of the reigns and spurring his horse into a gallop to catch up to Levi and Mikasa.

"Hey Arlert," Levi called over when they were level, "how many did you take down in the end?"

"Twelve I think," Armin replied.

"That's pretty good, Levi said.

"Thank you Sir."

"Not good enough though; I got fifteen in total," Levi said smirking at him.

"Oh come on," Armin cried, "I took that last one down from the inside out, can't you give me that one?"

"I suppose that is rather impressive," Levi said, pretending to not be impressed in the slightest. "I heard you saved a whole group of the new recruits too."

"It wasn't really a group," Armin said. "More like two or three."

"Really?" Levi asked. "Because there's this red headed kid back at base banging on about you like you're the fucking messiah."

"Was that Doyle?" Armin asked grinning. "I'm glad he's still alive."

"Looks like you're going to have a fan club by the end of the day," Levi stated. "Well done though, you did incredibly well today," he added after a pause.

"Thank you Sir," Armin said. He couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face. Yes the mission hadn't been a success by any stretch of the imagination but for the first time since he had enlisted he felt as if he had actually managed to make a difference. The fact that he could feel Eren's arms around him, squeezing him tightly, meant that he had made enough of a difference to at least a few important people.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys so this is the last installment of this story, thank you all so much for reading it and reviewing it and I'm really glad you've all enjoyed it and I hope you enjoy this last chapter :D**

Five years had passed since Armin had saved Eren's and countless other lives during the fifty-eighth Exterior Scouting Mission and he was standing on a raised platform in front of the rest of the regiment, staring out at the sea of faces, some old some new but all staring at him with awe and wonder. Eren stood at his side with Erwin in front of them addressing the crowd, Levi and Hange on the other side of the platform. In the last five years Erwin had been enlisting Armin to help with strategic formations along with plans for reaching Shinganshina in order to discover the secrets kept in the cellar or Eren's old house.

They still hadn't managed to reach Shinganshina but they were slowly closing the distance with larger amounts of territory being taken back for humanity. New temporary walls, that were swift to put up and take down when needed, had been erected with each new hundred feet the Scouting Regiment were able to take back. The temporary walls had been a stroke of Armin's genius, meaning that they had less ground to cover each time they left the safety of them and the population was able to expand again. It had given them a fighting chance.

"As well as welcoming our new recruits it is with great pride and privilege that today I will be naming two new officers into our ranks," Erwin told the crowd. "Along with Squad Leader Hange Zoe I am very proud to introduce Squad Leader Eren Yeager and with Captain Levi, Captain Armin Arlert."

Both Armin and Eren stepped forward to rapturous applause from the crowd. Whistles and cheers from the front of the ranks made Armin look down to see Connie and Sasha cheering. Mikasa stood beside them staring up at them with pride sparkling in her eyes, the other living members of the 104th regiment they had joined with standing with her. Armin couldn't stop the smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he saluted. He had never thought or expected to make Captain but now that he had it felt good. Hell, it felt better than good it felt fucking amazing and he knew that he never would have been able to do it if it wasn't for Levi.

As Erwin continued with his speech Armin looked over at Levi, catching his eye. He smiled and he saw the tiniest hint of a smile grace Levi's lips. It was the most he had ever seen from him when the two of them weren't alone and Armin felt his chest swell with pride. Just knowing that all his training had paid off and that he had defied everyone's expectations, including his own, was enough, having Levi proud of him as well was a bonus.

"Who'd have thought it, hey?" Eren said once Erwin's speech had finished and the regiment had been dismissed. "You as Captain and me as a Squad Leader."

"I expected you to be a Squad Leader once you got your head out of your arse," Armin chuckled, playfully bumping his shoulder against Eren's.

"I'm sorry," Eren said smiling sheepishly. Since Armin had saved his life he had apologised for his past behaviour. Armin had told him not to worry about it but Eren had been insistent about making it up to him. More than anything Armin was just so glad that he had his best friend back. He gave Eren's hair a ruffle.

"You need a hair cut," he stated.

"Look who's talking Mop Top," Eren laughed messing Armin's hair up.

"Stop it," Armin chuckled giving him a playful shove, "we're supposed to be serious commanding officers now."

"You're still built like a daffodil though," Eren teased.

"I could bench press you," Armin stated.

"In Titan form?"

"Bring it on."

Eren opened his mouth to make another snappy retort but was cut off by Hange's arm being thrown around his shoulder.

"Eren are you ready to start talking Squad Leader duties?" Hange asked. "I've got a whole list of things I need to tell you and once that's done we can start talking experiments."

"Haven't you experimented on me enough?" Eren asked.

"Eren when it comes to science it is never enough," Hange said.

"Great..."

"Now are you ready?"

"Um sure thing," Eren replied as Hange began to pull him away.

"See you later," Armin said chuckling.

"Bye," Eren said as he was dragged away.

"Now one of the first things you need to know about being a Squad Leader is..." Hange said as Eren turned his attention to what he was supposed to be taking in. He had clearly thought that he and Armin would have more time to celebrate their new titles before they were thrown in at the deep end to work.

"Honestly Glasses gets way too excited about shit like this," Levi said from behind him. Armin turned to see him looking in the direction Hange and Eren had just gone, an exasperated expression on his face. "Yeager's going to be talking tactics for the rest of the day if he's not careful."

"It'll be good for him to use his head for once," Armin replied.

"If he has the capacity to," Levi stated and Armin had to chuckle at that. Eren still ran headlong into trouble without thinking about the consequences even after all these years. "How does it feel," Levi began, breaking him out of his thoughts, "to be a Captain now?"

"Strange," Armin replied. "If you had told me when I first enlisted that I would eventually be made a Captain I wouldn't have believed you."

"To be perfectly honest neither would I," Levi said. "When I first saw you you were this scrawny little kid who could barely hold himself up on his gear and looked as if he would shatter if he tried to use a riffle but look at you now."

"I have you to thank for that Sir," Armin said. Levi rolled his eyes, knowing that Armin was about to start gushing sentimental bollocks and being totally unprepared for it.

"Whatever."

"No I'm serious," Armin said and he sounded so sincere that Levi felt a new kind of pride swelling in his chest. "You didn't have to train me – I had nothing that I could possibly offer you in return – but you did it anyway. You helped me become the person I am today. Your training kept me alive and by proxy quite a few other people alive too."

"Keeping people alive is kind of my job," Levi stated.

"I know but that's not the point I'm making," Armin said. "Remember the last time we spared and you said that I had missed the point of the lesson you were trying to teach me?"

"Vaguely," Levi said although he did. He remembered it vividly. He remembered seeing the devastation in Armin's eyes when he thought that he had failed and he remembered how happy he had looked when he had told him that he hadn't. It had been one of those moments when he had know, without a shadow of a doubt, that Armin was going to succeed. One day he would be a Captain and that day had finally come.

"Well you're kind of missing the point of what I'm saying now," Armin said, a grin beginning to form on his lips.

"That so?" Levi asked raising an eyebrow at him.

"Yes," Armin replied, "basically what I'm trying to say is just thank you. You've done so much for me over the last few years and that means more to me than anything."

"This was all you kid," Levi said. "You were the one who did all the work, I just pushed you in the right direction."

"But..." Armin began.

"No buts," Levi said cutting him off, "you were the one who took everything that I threw at you. You've defied everyone's expectations, including your own, and you have proved to everyone that you are capable. You've had it in you from the very beginning, I just gave you a shove along the way."

"And it really was a shove," Armin chuckled.

"Don't get too cocky kid," Levi replied, "I am still your superior."

"I'm twenty-two," Armin said a little forlornly, "I'm hardly a kid."

"I'm still nearly twice your age," Levi chuckled, "you're a kid."

"Fine!" Armin pouted.

"So are you ready to talk Captain tactic?" Levi asked clapping Armin on the shoulder. A huge grin spread over Armin's face again.

"Yes Sir."

"Hey," Levi said, "remember what I told you; you don't have to call me Sir. We're both Captains now; you've earned the right to call me Levi."

"Okay... Levi," Armin nodded, following him inside the castle.

"Have you heard what they're calling you around the barracks?" Levi asked after a short pause.

"No," Armin replied.

"Humanity's Greatest," Levi said with a smirk.

"What?"

"You're an exceptional soldier and a phenomenal strategist," Levi stated, "it was only a matter of time before you got your own nickname."

"Humanity's Greatest..." Armin mused. "Sounds too grand to be deserved."

"I wouldn't have said so."

"Really?"

"You get used to the extra titles after a while," Levi said.

"I'll take your word on that," Armin chuckled.

* * *

"Are you totally sure about this?" Shane, a lanky boy of sixteen with freckles and a mop of mousey black hair, asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Cody, a short fifteen year old girl with cropped blonde hair and bright blue eyes, replied.

"I just mean that maybe the Scouting Regiment wasn't a good idea," Shane said. "Don't you think that we should have maybe taken a different path."

"And what?" Cody sneered. "Joined the MPs? Fat lot of good they were when those two huge Titans were running riot in Stohess seven years ago."

"Yeah but it will be safer there," Shane stated. Cody laughed.

"No one's safe anywhere Shane," she said. "Haven't you wanted more from life that just being stuck behind these walls with nothing but the hand that we're dealt."

"You're such an idealist Cody," Shane stated. "You're going to get yourself killed one of these days and I don't want to be the one to tell your mum."

"You don't have to protect me, Shane; I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself," Cody said fixing him with a look that was a mixture of sympathy and irritation. Shane sighed.

"I know that but I made a promise to your mum that I would look after you and if you're going to go running off into danger then I'm going to be standing right behind you."

"Well that's a very nice sentiment, but I really don't need it," Cody told him.

"Maybe not but..." Shane began but he was cut off by the sound of footsteps coming down the adjacent corridor towards them.

"Shh," Cody hissed, "someone's coming."

Both of them stared at the end of the corridor as a short dark haired man with bags under his eyes from years of sleep deprivation and a slightly taller blond man behind him. Cody and Shane stared in disbelief as both of them recognised just who it was coming towards them and they snapped to attention.

"At ease cadets, Levi grunted as he passed, not even bothering to stop to look at them. Cody and Shane quickly dropped their stances. Unlike Levi, Armin stopped to smile at them.

"Cadets," he said.

"Captain," both of them said in unison.

"How are you finding it so far?" Armin asked.

"It's a little daunting Sir," Shane said honestly.

"I'm looking forward to starting training," Cody beamed. Armin chuckled. This girl was going to be a handful, he could tell already.

"Well always remember to follow your training, do as your instructors tell you, listen to your Squad Leaders and you'll be fine," Armin told them.

"Yes Sir," both Shane and Cody said.

"Who are your Squad Leaders?"

"We're both in the Yeager Squad Sir," Cody said and Armin recognised the manic gleam in her eye that he had seen in Eren's so many times before. _Good luck Eren, this one is going to give you a run for your money._

"Arlert," Levi called from the other end of the corridor and turning to face the three of them, "come on, I don't have all day."

"Coming," Armin called after him. He turned back to Shane and Cody. "Good luck. Maybe I'll see you out on the training ground." He turned and caught up with Levi and the two of them rounded the other end of the corridor, leaving Cody and Shane staring after them in amazement.

"Was that?" Shane asked when he finally managed to pick his jaw off the floor.

"I think it was," Cody replied.

"Holy shit!"

"That was Captain Levi and Captain Armin," Cody said. "That's Humanity's Strongest and Humanity's Greatest right here. We are literally in a castle with living legends!"

"Oh my god," Shane breathed as he stared after Armin and Levi now looking at the empty corridor.

"Still wish you'd joined the MPs?" Cody asked grinning at him. He grinned back, finally tearing his eyes away from the spot where his two heroes had been.

"Not a chance."

 _THE END_


End file.
